


On Ice

by Latras



Category: Zootopia (2016)
Genre: Blood and Violence, Eventual Fluff, Eventual Romance, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Night Howlers (Zootopia)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-01
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-05 20:55:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 52
Words: 66,078
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25641682
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Latras/pseuds/Latras
Summary: Two very different mammals are forced together by very different circumstances in Zootopia's darkest hour. Will they be able to coexist, or will they be torn apart by Tundratown's icy winds?
Relationships: Original Female Character/Original Male Character
Comments: 128
Kudos: 53





	1. Fired

Chapter I, Fired

Tuesday

Milo Latras sat and watched a monitor. He was one of five mammals working the night shift at the Tundratown Central Nuclear Power Plant, and he liked it that way. Being on the night shift meant he didn’t have to interact with his boss every day and the night crew was much more friendly than the day crew, probably because everyone was either a pred, nocturnal, or both in Milo’s case. There were usually six mammals on the night shift, but one of the senior engineers was absent tonight. Milo didn’t worry about it, as the ferret in question had frequent doctor’s appointments due to his age. The monitor in front of Milo displayed all of the information he needed to keep the plant’s cooling systems running. Temperatures, water levels, emergency generators, all of it was right in front of him. Milo had been staring at the monitor for ten or so hours in between intermittent smoke breaks, so his shift was almost up. 

Milo looked up as he heard his foreman, a boar by the name of Bert Warton, walk up to him. Bert had been avoiding his gaze and nervously fiddling with his tie for the whole night, so Milo was interested in what he had to say.

“I need to talk to you after your shift ends, in private”

“Sure thing boss.”

The foreman nodded and walked back to his station, leaving Milo to wonder what the problem could be and why his friend was getting nervous over it.

As he started to think about how much time he had until he could go, Warton spoke up in his raspy deep voice. “Alright boys, it's four AM, time to turn it over to the day shift.” There were general sighs of agreement and approval from the haggard mammals sitting at their consoles as most of them got up and walked to the door. The two exceptions were Milo and Warton. 

“Hey Bert, what’s up?”

Bert Warton looked nervous and rolled a bit on the balls of his feet before answering.

“Mi, management wants me to tell you something…”

“What is it dude?”

Bert looked even more uncomfortable, sweat beads were now visible on the hog’s forehead.

“I-I was told to tell you that you’re on u-unpaid leave for a few weeks, I’m sorry, man.”

Due to his sleep-deprived state, Milo hadn’t fully registered what the foreman had told him until after a few seconds of tense silence.

“What.”

“I told you man, management’s putting you on leave for a while.”

“Why the fuck would thay do that?”

Bert was now positively melting under the pressure the conversation was putting him under.

“Of course not, you’re my best engineer! They just told me to relay the message to you before thursday.”

“Thursday?”

“They said it was your deadline for collecting your stuff and moving it out. I had absolutely no say in this, they said they would suspend me if I didn’t tell you!”

Milo sank back into his chair and deflated. Immediately, his mind was filled with thoughts of how management could justify basically laying him off. Was it his service record? No, he had been working here for four years and hadn’t done anything during that time to warrant this. Maybe his conduct? Admittedly he had been rather standoffish with the director of the plant, an overweight ram by the name of Wooling, but he didn’t think the sheep could make an executive decision like that. And then it clicked, the savages.

Over the past weeks there had been disappearances of predators across all of the city districts. Nobody thought it was of any importance until a rookie cop had broken into a decommissioned asylum and discovered all of the missing mammals had reverted back to a ‘savage’ state, meaning they attacked anything in sight without prior thought. After the incident, the savage attacks had continued, and prey mammals started getting mauled or even dying. If it was only predators going savage, management could fire all the predators on payroll and only be mildly short-staffed since only 10% of the population had fangs and claws. Apparently everyone was afraid of a pred going savage in the control room and hitting buttons they weren’t supposed to, which could lead to, at best, a delay in power production, and at worst, a nuclear accident. Wooling had probably used his position to make the suggestion to fire all preds and management had thought it was a good idea.

“Well, shit. What am I supposed to do Bert? Just pack up and leave? I’ve worked here for four fucking years and the higher-ups just throw me away at the slightest hint of something going wrong?”

Bert turned towards the currently unoccupied director’s office, then turned back and wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve.

“Well, I think that they might have a-a good reason to do it.”

Milo’s confusion and sadness immediately condensed into rage, and he stood up to face the foreman, who shrunk a little despite his size advantage over the wiry canine.

“Bert, I thought you said you didn’t agree with them.” said Milo in as calm of a voice he could muster given his situation.

“W-well I-I think that t-they shouldn't be firing you like this, b-but maybe its f-for the best if you and Nigel l-leave for the time being.” Bert stammered out, barely keeping it together.

“Nigel too, foreman? I suppose it's for the best that you get all the chompers out of the control room huh? Don’t want us ‘going savage’ and fucking up the reactor?”

“W-well…”

“DON’T YOU DARE DO THIS, WARTON!”

“Hold on now, just hear me out for a second, will you?”

By this point Bert was starting to get ahold of himself, and he stood up straight, using his height to strengthen his argument.

“Milo, you know I don’t agree with them, but if you or Nigel had an episode-” Milo cut him off mid sentence.

“YOU MEAN GO SAVAGE? DO YOU REALLY BELIEVE THAT WE’RE CAPABLE OF THAT? YOU’RE JUST LIKE THE REST OF THEM, AREN’T YOU?”

By this point, Milo couldn’t contain himself. He had known Bert since he started work at the plant and he hadn’t known the jovial boar was capable of speciesism, let alone this level of distrust towards predators. While Milo was in stunned silence, Bert continued.

“As I was saying, if you or Nigel had an episode, we don’t know what would happen. It certainly wouldn’t be good, and it might even result in a meltdown! Management and I agree that it would be best if you left the job for a while.”

Before Bert could make the situation worse, Milo stood up and walked to the door.

“Goodbye, Warton.” was all he said before he left.

Five minutes later, Milo had changed out of his scrubs for what seemed like the last time and was sitting behind the wheel of his Pawmoth, dialing Nigel Kensington. He and the aging ferret carpooled frequently, so they were on friendly terms, and he wanted to see if he had gotten the news. His phone rang at least six times before a dejected sounding and slurred voice answered.

“Hey Mi, I take it that bastard pig told you that you’re laid off, huh?”

“Yeah, he gave me some bullshit about ‘us having an episode would be too risky’ and told me I’d be on unpaid leave for the foreseeable future.”

The small voice on the other end of the connection grew louder as the mustelid worked himself up into a rage.

“It was the same with me, he told me yesterday. How could I do anything? I’m at most a quarter the size of the next smallest mammal there! It’s fucking insane how they can just get away for this!”

Milo was surprised at how angry the small mammal sounded and quickly tried to calm him down, fearing the old guy would blow an artery.

“Yeah. Say, do you want to meet at Henry’s tomorrow for drinks? It’d be good to discuss this over some whiskey.”

At this request Nigel seemed to calm down, and responded with his original tone.

“Sounds good, the usual time?”

“Yep, see you then.”

“See you.”

Milo hung up and dropped his phone into his lap. He felt much more exhausted than usual but wide awake at the same time as his anger at Bert increased. How could he? They had known each other since Milo had taken the job four years ago, and they had been friends ever since. Or had they? Milo wasn’t sure if Bert had been pretending to be his friend all this time, or if he bought into the hysteria of the savage attacks and started viewing him as a monster. Whatever it was, Milo was sure he wouldn’t be speaking to the Boar again. As he began to cool down, the reality of his situation hit him at full speed. His job hadn’t been lucrative by any means, but it paid well and had allowed him to live in a condo downtown and eat out regularly. Now, all of that was gone, and Milo had only one thought in his head.

“What now?”


	2. Drinks

Chapter II, Drinks

Thursday

Milo’s meeting with Nigel went well, all things considered. They had met up at Henry’s bar, a pub on the west side of tundratown, and caught up on their predicament over a bottle of Jackrabbit Daniels. 

“So after tuesday’s shift he just up and told me I was fired like it wasn’t a big deal at all!”

“Really? He was sweating bullets telling me.”

“That’s because you’re friends, the fucker just saw me as an expendable old geezer or some shit.”

“Damn, I’m sorry Nigel.”

“We're in the same boat now, Mi. Do you have a plan for keeping your head above water?”

Milo was taken aback by the question. When he thought about it, he didn’t have a clue what he was going to do. Maybe he could get a job somewhere, but he figured the situation was only going to get worse.

“Not yet, how about you?”

“My retirement fund might be enough for me to irk out a living for the next twenty years, if I survive that long that is. My doctor told me my liver is failing, guess it's karma for my college days.”

“How much time do you think you’ve got left?”

“Doc told me fifteen years, max, but that’s only if I stop drinking and live in a hospital bed.”

In truth, Milo had suspected something like this was going on for a while, clued in by the old man’s slow movements and frequent trips to the hospital, but he hadn’t expected it to be this bad.

“Damn man, I figured you had health problems but I didn’t know it was that bad. If you need anything from me, just ask.”

Nigel looked up from his drink and smiled, something he didn’t do often.

“Milo, I really appreciate that. You’ve been a good friend to me these past few years.”

“You too, Nigel.”

Both mammals looked at each other and gave a slight nod, promising that they would look out for each other, no matter how much worse it got. Then, Nigel piped up.

“Enough with the sappy shit, let’s get another bottle. Bartender!”

Milo chuckled, maybe he could find a way through this after all.


	3. Father

Chapter III, Father

The same Thursday

Rosa Deerborn sat on the sidewalk outside her parent’s estate, contemplating how she got here. Two hours ago, she was sitting in her father’s car, halfway into a heated argument with the stag. 

“I don’t see why you can’t take over the Deerborn conglomerate when you turn twenty five. It's what your family has done for generations. For four centuries, the company hasn’t had a succession crisis, any you’re willing to throw that legacy away for your pipe dream of becoming a lawyer!”

Rosa had had this talk at least half a dozen times, and she was done putting up with her stubborn father and his attitude towards her career choices.

“Dad, I’m not going to inherit your business, and being a lawyer isn’t a pipe dream! I’ve already sent an application to ZLS and studied law books. I'm sure I’ve got what it takes, and you can’t tell me what I should do for the rest of my life!”

Arthur Deerborn slammed on the brakes as he pulled into the Deerborn Manor’s driveway. He had expected his daughter to offer some resistance in her younger years, but she was an adult and he thought she would be more mature. Taking over the company was the only way for her to succeed, and he had tried and failed to convince her that she needed to grow up and act her age. And now, she had gone behind his back and applied for college, and a community college no less! She was too narrow minded to realize that she couldn’t make it as a law professional, and he was done with her.

“Get out.”

“What?.”

“You heard me, get your things and GET OUT!”

Rosa shook herself out of her stupor and picked up her suitcases. She needed to find a hotel before night fell, but her family home was miles from any that she knew of. She had a few hundred Zbucks in cash, but that wouldn't last her more than a few days, even if she found the cheapest place she could. But she didn’t have the luxury of thinking about the future in her current situation. For now, she dialed a cab company.

“Hello?”

“Hello, I need a medium-sized taxi at Deerborn Estate please.”

“You got it, a driver will be there in ten minutes.”

“Thank you.”

She hung up and slipped her phone into her pocket. She would have to find a hotel with wifi and look for a job. She needed a way to pay for her education, but she wasn’t sure she could without going into serious debt, even with the government education programs in place. First things first, she needed to find a cheap hotel before the cab got here. She opened up her internet browser and got to looking.

Seven minutes later, a white and yellow taxi pulled up beside her. The cabbie, a red wolf, rolled down his window.

“You phoned for a cab, ma'am?”

“Yes.”

Rosa opened the rear door and slid into the seat. She had never ridden a cab before, as all her transportation was taken care of by her father’s employees, but she knew what to do from movies and books.

“Could you take me to 1312 Rainbow Falls, please?”

“Sure thing, miss. It’ll be a while.”

As the cab accelerated, she took stock of her surroundings. The cab wasn't modern by any means, but was surprisingly comfortable. The driver’s politeness had certainly done much to calm her still frayed nerves, and she felt herself relaxing.

“Not to pry, but you’re from a well-off family, right?”

Rosa started at the wolf’s words, and decided that answering could do her no harm, as she no longer wanted to be connected to her family in any way.

“Yes, the Deerborn family. Why do you ask?”

“It’s just, well, don’t you rich types always go around in limos and stuff? Why’re you taking a normal cab to a cheap hotel?”

Again, Rosa had to debate whether to answer truthfully, or at all for that matter. She decided she didn’t want to go around giving her life story to someone she had known for five minutes.

“It's private.” She snapped. 

The wolf sunk back into his seat, clearly surprised and hurt by the deer’s tone.

“Yes ma’am, of course ma’am.”

Rosa immediately felt guilty for making the mammal believe she was just another rich girl, and amended her statement.

“My father and I disagree on a lot of subjects, and I just thought it would be good to get away for awhile.”

The wolf brightened up and replied.

“Oh, is that it? Plenty of mammals like yourself have the same problem with their parents. My advice is to lay low, like you’re doing, and wait for him to cool off, maybe even get your mother involved.”

Rosa hadn’t thought of that, her mother tended to side with her father on these types of things, but maybe she could make her talk to him and put some reason in his thoughts.

“That’s actually really good advice, thanks, ummm…” It was then that Rosa realized she hadn’t asked the wolf his name.

“The name’s Walter, but people call me Walt. How about you?”

“Rosa, thank you Walt.”

“Anytime, Rosa.”

Rosa leaned back into her seat, a smile on her face.


	4. Planning

Chapter IV, Planning

Milo put the last suitcase in his car and looked up at his building. After recovering from the night of drinking at Henry’s, he had formulated a plan. First, a job. He didn’t know if his situation was commonplace in the rest of the city, but if it was, that would be a problem. Second, a place to stay. Milo’s condo hadn’t been that expensive on his previous budget, but it was now draining his savings at a rate he couldn’t afford, which was why he was moving out. Selling the place wasn’t a problem, as he was the only predator in the place and prey mammals were desperate to find prey-only buildings in the city. He had found a buyer and had pocketed a good amount of money to find a new place with. 

Milo wasn’t sure where he was going to find work, so he had narrowed his search down by district. Savannah Central was too hot for him, the Rainforest District was too wet, Bunnyburrow and the Meadowlands were too far away, and downtown and the canal district were too expensive. That left Tundratown as his only option. He didn’t have any problem with working there, as he had done it for years. Living in the frozen district was another thing, especially in the northeast where the cheapest housing was. He could always put on another layer for the cold, but northeast Tundratown had a reputation for not being the best area to live in, especially then. But he couldn’t argue with the lowest rent outside of Happytown, and finding a job would be easier up there with the mostly pred population.

Six hours later, and he had a suitable candidate for an apartment and a new job. The apartment was near the docks, and close to his job as an unloader at a warehouse on the waterfront. He had a problem, however. The apartment was meant for two, and he couldn’t pay rent on his own. He’d have to find a roommate, and nobody would be insane enough to be considering moving to that area given the city’s situation.

“Where in the world am I gonna find someone moving to Tundratown?”

Rosa had found an apartment and a new job, but she had a problem. Several, in fact. First, her new place was quite far from ZLS, and she didn’t have a car. This was the least of her problems, since Zootopia had an extensive public transportation network. Second, it was in Northeast Tundratown, which was known for being hostile towards people like her. Rich people had a bad rep, especially in the seedier parts of the city. Third, the apartment she had picked was meant for two, and she definitely couldn’t pay the rent on her own. She would have to find a roommate, and nobody would be insane enough to be considering moving to that area given the city’s situation.

“Where in the world am I going to find someone moving into Tundratown?”


	5. Meeting

Chapter V, Meeting

“Looking for a roommate in northeast Tundratown, any gender, any medium-sized species. Two bedrooms, one bath, all basic appliances installed. PM with offers if you’re interested.”

Milo shut his laptop and sighed. He had called the landlord and she had agreed to put the apartment on hold until he found a roommate, but she would sell it to anyone that wanted to buy it while he was searching . He hoped that someone would be moving into the area, or he would lose what was probably his best bet of getting back on his feet. His new warehouse job hadn’t started yet, so he was stuck in his hotel room, waiting for a response. He minimized the advertisement and went to his bank’s website. Nineteen thousand Zbucks was a good figure, but if he couldn’t find a roommate, that sum would drain fast. Between rent, food, and gas, Milo estimated he'd be out of money in eight months if he had to pay for the place himself

Rosa sat in her hotel room, searching for anyone that was able and willing to move to Tundratown. The apartment she’d chosen seemed like it was the only one up for grabs in the area around her new job at a bodega, and she was starting to consider giving up college and going back to her father until she refreshed the site and saw an ad at the top of the page.

“Looking for a roommate in northeast Tundratown, any gender, any medium-sized species. Two bedrooms, one bath, all basic appliances installed. PM with offers if you’re interested.”

Rosa’s hooves moved furiously across her keyboard, and a minute later she had messaged the advertiser her offer of twelve hundred Zbucks a month. It was quite low, and under normal circumstances nobody would take her up on her offer. All she could do was hope the person looking for a roommate was as desperate as her.

“That was quick.” Milo thought out loud as he received a message notification. Twelve hundred, not great, but he was desperate. 

“Sounds good, when can you be here to look at the place?”

“Tomorrow morning, if that’s okay with you.”

Milo glanced at his watch. Five-seventeen in the evening. He was quite surprised that he had managed to find someone this soon, but he didn’t have time to question his good fortune.

“Sounds like a plan, let's meet there at 9:30.”

“Okay, see you then.”

The canine and the cervine leaned away from their respective computers, taking deep sighs of relief. For now, they each had a plan for the future.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello readers, I apologize for the short chapters, but I write as ideas come to mind. If you want updates on the story as it progresses, follow the twitter account @Latras5.


	6. En Route

Chapter VI, En Route

Milo woke up at nine A.M., and felt as if something was off. He scrolled through his social media for a minute or two before getting up. He yawned and went towards his coffee maker, but it wasn’t in the right place. “That’s weird.” He thought before going to the bathroom to brush his teeth and have a morning piss. But his bathroom wasn’t in the right place either. It was a good five seconds before he realized where he was. He was in a hotel, and it was another five before he realized why. “Oh, right. I got fired. Fuck.” He scratched his chin and tried to remember what he was going to do today. After some thinking, he got it. “I was gonna look for an apart-” He cut himself off and glanced at his watch. Nine sixteen. 

Three minutes later and he was barreling towards Tundratown at the legal edge of the speed limit. Milo chastised himself for sleeping in, and hoped he could make it to the building before his roommate-to-be would be kept waiting too long.

Rosa was wide awake an hour before Milo, as she had a longer distance to cover. She got out of bed, got dressed, ate some breakfast, brushed her teeth, and then called the cab company she had used yesterday. Her phone rang twice and the same gravelly voice that had been there days before answered.

“North Zootopia Taxi service, how can I help you?”

“Hello, I need a taxi at 1312 Rainbow Falls please.”

“You that deer from before? I have a driver in the area, he’ll be right over.”

Rosa sat and waited on the curb for a few minutes before a familiar yellow and white car pulled up. The driver’s side window rolled down and a smiling red wolf appeared.

“Walt!”

“Hey, Rosa! Central told me it was you and I was in the area, so I thought I would pick ya up.” Replied the cheery canine.

Rosa slid into the back with her suitcases as she had done a few days before.

“Where d’ya need to be?”

Rosa turned on her phone and looked at the apartment’s address.

“262 Drift Street, please.”

“Drift Street? What are you doing going to northeast Tundratown?”

“I know the area’s reputation, but it's the only place with low enough rent near my new job, and I don’t have much flexibility on account of my tuition.”

“Tuition, are ya going to college?”

“Yes, Zootopia Law School.”

Milo turned around for a second and beamed at Rosa.

“That’s great, there’s not too many mammals concerned with the welfare of others right now. I’m glad that the world has some goodness in it.”

Rosa blushed at the wolf’s remarks. She didn’t think that being a lawyer was that big of a deal, but he certainly thought it was.

“Oh, it's not that big of a thing Walt, I just want to be a lawyer.”

“You say that now, but you’ll change your tune when you’re helping mammals in need out of sticky situations.”

“Do you really think I can make it?”

“I have no doubt, my friend.”

Rosa’s blush deepened. She hadn’t ever had this kind of support from anyone, everyone in her old life thought she was reaching and that she should take her father’s job.

“Thank you, Walter.”

“Anytime, Rosa. We’re almost to your stop, it looks cold out there.”

Rosa looked out the window and it was indeed snowing. “Damn.” She thought. She had a jacket and hat on, but she probably needed another layer if she was going to live here and not freeze to death.

“So it does, thanks for the ride. How much do I owe you?”

“Nothing, you have enough money troubles as it is.”

Rosa was taken aback by the wolf’s kindness. She had only known him for half a week, but he was willing to give up what was probably a large fare for her.

“Walt, I can’t just not pay you for driving me all the way out here.”

“Nonsense. One fare ain’t gonna hurt me, and you need tuition money. Anywhere you need to go, you call me.”

He handed her a slip of paper with a phone number, she assumed it was his, written down on it in blue ink.

“Walt, I…”

“Not another word, now go and get that degree.”

With that, Rosa stepped out of the cab into the frozen weather of Tundratown, waving goodbye as the cab drove off and a white Pawmoth came around the corner of the building.


	7. Number 303

Chapter VII, Number 303

Milo passed a cab going the opposite direction he was driving and pulled up to the building. He glanced at the dashboard thermometer. -2 degrees.

“Damn, it's cold out. I wish I had brought another layer.” He thought.

Milo turned the engine off and stepped out of his car into a wall of icy wind. Glancing around, he saw the only other person besides him. It looked like a small deer, but he couldn’t tell from the distance he was at. As he walked towards the figure, it turned to meet him.

“Hello, are you the one looking for a roommate?” The deer said over the wind.

Milo was surprised. This deer was moving into Tundratown? She was, at best, only a foot and a half taller than him, and she looked well off too, from her clothes and accessories.

“Milo Latras, pleased to meet you.” He said, extending a paw.

“Rosa Deerborn, the pleasure is mine.” 

The two shook hooves/paws and turned towards the building, shivering in the frozen wind.

“Want to take this inside?”

“Yes, please.”

They stepped into the lobby and left their heavy clothes on the coat rack.

Rosa wasn't sure about moving into a mostly predator neighborhood with a coyote as a roommate, especially with the fact that they could apparently go insane and maul her to death at any moment. Given any other set of circumstances, she would choose to live somewhere safer, but she didn’t have that luxury right now. Besides, the brown and tan furred canine hadn't done anything to warrant distrust.

“The place is on the third floor. I’ve gotten the landlord to put the apartment on hold for me, so you won’t have to make a decision right away.”

Rosa nodded and followed Milo to the stairwell. The climb took a minute, and they exited the stairwell to a hallway.

“It’s at the end of the hall, number 303. I haven't been inside, but the owner gave me a key so we could poke around.”

Milo jiggled the key in the lock and opened the door.

“Damn.”

The apartment was old, even by Tundratown standards. The paint on the walls was heavily cracked in places, and most of the visible furniture and appliances look at least thirty years old, possibly fifty in the case of the oven and stove. Milo wasn’t even sure if the place would have its own thermostat, or a working internet connection.

The two of them looked around the apartment for a good fifteen minutes. Rosa inspected the living room and adjacent kitchen. The stove and oven were indeed quite out of date, but it seemed the previous owner had taken care of them well. The same could be said about the old TV and the meager smattering of furniture. While Rosa was in the front rooms, Milo was scoping out the bedrooms. Both of them were identical, apart from the windows being on different sides as both rooms touched opposite walls. The bathroom was standard, minus a bathtub. Still, Milo only took showers, and the rest of it was fine for two mammals. The hall closet had a washer/dryer, space for any unused items, and mercifully, a thermostat. 

After they were done looking through the flat, the two of them met in the living room. Rosa was the first to speak.

“I think I could live here. Have you considered my offer, Mr. Latras?”

“Call me Milo, and yes I have. Twelve hundred a month sounds fine to me. It looks like we’ll be living together.”

“So it does.”


	8. Friends

Chapter VIII, Friends

Agreements were made, documents were signed, and by the next day, the two mammals had gathered their possessions and stepped into their new apartment. Milo took the east room. He had a good amount of stuff, so his room looked homey and liveable in a few hours. He put his desk and computer in the rear right corner, and he moved the bed that came with the room up against the north-facing window. The rest of his things, posters, paintings, and ornaments mostly, went up on the walls or on his desk. Rosa, who had taken the west room, was feeling less enthusiastic about her living space. She only had what items she could fit into two suitcases, so she had nothing to put in her room to brighten it up. She had a few changes of clothes, a laptop, some toiletries, and not much else to speak of. Her savings had withered down from her few days at a hotel, and she was in danger of running out of cash. Her only saving grace was that her job started the day after her move-in date. She had never worked a job before, but it couldn’t be that hard, could it?

It could. Seven hours into her first workday, she started to form a deep respect for the people who had to sit in utter boredom for most of their lives, waiting for customers that never came. Only three mammals had come into the corner store she had worked at today, and one of them only wanted to get out of the cold for a few minutes. But she could hardly complain. Compared to where she thought she would be last week, she was sitting pretty. A job, a home, and school starting in two weeks. She felt good.

Milo, however, was used to his new job. He had gone to college a bit too early, and realized his mistake when he looked up how much tuition was going to cost him. He had to work at a warehouse, much like the one he was in, and it had sucked. It still sucked, but he was accustomed to how much it sucked. Loading and unloading trucks definitely wasn’t his first choice of a job, but it was a job, and it kept him off the streets.

Rosa’s shift ended thirty minutes earlier than Milo’s, so she was usually home earlier than him. They had slowly gotten to know one another, and were now on a first name basis. Today, he was home when Rosa got off work.

“Hello, Milo.”

“Hey, Rosa. I picked up some groceries so I could make dinner tonight. If you’re ok with that.”

Rosa was surprised at the predator’s kindness. Truthfully, when she had left home she expected predators, especially those of lower income, to be quite hostile, but she was pleasantly surprised. Walt had been nothing but kind and Milo hadn’t done anything to make her feel unwelcome. Maybe her misgivings about this coyote were only her father’s influence rubbing off on her. 

“What did you get?”

“I picked up some greens and bread from the store. Sorry I didn’t get anything more refined, but I have no idea what you like to eat.”

“That was very thoughtful of you. I prefer fruits and nuts, but I’m not picky. Especially when someone else is kind enough to make food for me.”

“Fruits and nuts, I’ll remember that next time.”

Milo walked into the apartment’s meagre kitchenette and started unloading his groceries. Along with Rosa’s food, he took out a plastic-wrapped package of something red.

“What’s that?” Rosa asked

Milo looked nervous and cringed slightly as he responded.

“Salmon. Sorry I didn’t warn you. I know that most prey are uncomfortable around meat, so if you don’t want me bringing home fish, just say the word.”

“I have no right to tell you what you should or shouldn’t do here. It’s your home too.”

Milo smiled. “Thanks.”

In twenty minutes, Rosa was sitting at the living room table with a well-prepared salad and was skimming through the small number of channels they got. Milo was still making his salmon, and the smell of cooking meat was starting to permeate the flat. It wasn’t unpleasant at all, which surprised the doe. What surprised her more was that she enjoyed the smell. She couldn’t put her hoof on it, but there were undertones of sweet and smoke that tickled her nose in a good way. She would never consider actually eating fish, but it was nice to smell cooking food.

“Are you okay? You’ve been breathing real hard for a few minutes.”

Rosa was embarrassed by her preference in smell, especially since it was a social taboo for prey to enjoy anything involving meat.

“I, uh, just like the smell.” She said softly

Milo chuckled and said “There’s nothing wrong with that. Cooking salmon is one of the best smells in the world, regardless of species.

Rosa, reassured by the canine’s words, nodded and went back to surfing channels.

Milo took his dinner out of the oven a minute or so later. Looking at it, he realized that it was probably wolf-sized and he probably couldn’t eat it all.

“Dammit, I spent so much money on that. Oh well, I can always put the rest into a bag.” He said to himself, plating his food and walking to the couch where Rosa had settled on a channel.

“Is that Star Tracks?” Milo asked.

Rosa looked surprised. The show had a pretty limited audience, especially since it had been off the air since her childhood.

“Yes, are you a fan?”

In response, Milo got up and walked to his room. Rosa wasn’t sure what he was doing until he came back, with a signed poster.

“Is that an Original Series poster?”

“You betcha. Signed by William Hoofner and Leopard Nimoy.”

“Woah, I didn’t know people were still dedicated to old sci-fi shows.”

“I’ll stop being dedicated when I’m dead. I’m glad we get this channel.”

“Me too.”

They sat and watched a few episodes for the better part of an hour. When Rosa looked to Milo’s plate, she saw about half of his food remaining. Milo saw her looking and had a strange idea.

“I accidentally got more than I needed. Do you want some?”

Rosa was astounded. Her new roommate was fine with her sense of smell, watched Star Tracks, and was offering her some of his food, which would result in him being ousted from a restaurant for ‘disturbing the piece’. Despite the consequences if anyone found out, she was curious. The fish had smelled wonderful, and that indicated it would taste wonderful as well.

“Okay, I don’t want too much, in case I get sick.”

Milo wasn’t expecting that response, but he cut off a bite of salmon and passed his plate to the deer next to him. 

Rosa held the plate and grabbed her salad fork, which she skewered the fish on, trying not to think of it as a living animal. She brought the fork to her mouth and bit the meat off.

‘Woah’ was her first thought. The fish carried more flavor than anything she had eaten before. ‘Huh’ was her second thought. She was expecting some kind of weird texture, but this was beyond her expectations. She wasn’t sure if she liked or disliked it.

Milo watched the deer chew. She didn’t hurl, or scrunch up her face, so that was good. She swallowed and turned to face him.

“That was, an experience.”

“Good or bad?”

“Much better than I was expecting. You’re a good cook.”

“Thanks, I didn’t expect you to say yes to my offer. I’m glad you liked it.” Milo said as he stood up and walked to the fridge. He put what remained of the salmon in a bag and stuck it in the barren fridge.

He sat back down, and they watched Star Tracks until they fell asleep.


	9. Mother

Chapter VIV, Mother

Milo woke up around six with his face buried in something warm. He still had early-morning grogginess, so he assumed he had put a space heater in his room last night. He then realized he didn’t have a space heater.

“Why is it so warm?” He thought to himself as he struggled to remember the events of last night.

He had gone to the store, made dinner, watched tv with Rosa, and he hadn’t gone to bed. If he hadn’t gone to bed, then that meant that he was on the couch, and that this warm mass was...

“Shit.”

He slowly extracted himself from the position and turned the tv off. He needed some coffee.

What he didn’t know was that Rosa had been up for a while before him. She had done the same thing, minus the getting up and getting coffee. She had tried to figure out what was leaning on her for a few seconds and she had realized it was a coyote when Milo’s ear flicked in his sleep. She had slowly craned her neck to look at the sleeping canine and was greeted by the most adorable thing she had ever seen. At some point in the night, Milo had curled up into a ball by her side and was leaning his head on her, his tail in her lap. What distressed her was that she had unconsciously put her arm around him. She was embarrassed, and when he woke up she pretended to be asleep. She heard him curse under his breath and get up, muttering something about coffee. She pretended to be slumbering for a minute or two, and then yawned and stretched out, letting her roommate know she was up.

“Good morning, Milo.”

“Morning, Rosa. Didja sleep alright?”

“I slept fine, how about you.”

Milo averted his gaze and turned back to the brewing pot of coffee. 

“I, uhh, went to my room after you fell asleep watching tv. You looked pretty comfortable where you were so I didn’t move you. Not like I could’ve anyways.”

Rosa knew he was lying, probably because he was embarrassed as she was about the unconscious snuggling. She decided to not bring up the subject again.

“There’s coffee here if you want it. I’m gonna leave in a few minutes.”

“Thank you.”

They drank in silence before Milo stood up and put his coat and hat on.

“Seeya tonight.”

“Goodbye.”

He left, closing the door gently behind him. Rosa’s job started at the same time, but it was only a few minute’s bus ride from the flat, so she left later than him. On the bus, she thought about her roommate, and realized something now that she thought about it. Milo has some pretty expensive habits. He had eaten salmon for dinner, which she knew was expensive. He drove an old Pawmoth Chachalaca, which were infamous for horrible fuel economy. He even had set aside space in a cabinet for some rather pricey alcohol, she had even seen some brands that were in her father’s drinking room at home. She had to stop thinking of the Deerborn mansion as home. It wasn’t, at least not anymore. She shook her head and tried to think about why and how Milo could afford these things. Before she could formulate any coherent answers, her bus pulled up at her stop. She sighed and got ready for another day of work.

Milo’s trip was less interesting. He started his car and drove until he pulled up in front of a dilapidated grey warehouse, a few dozen meters from the docks. He locked up his car, breathed in the salty air, and went to work unloading trucks. His job was menial, and he didn’t even have to do much actual work as he was a qualified crane operator from his first warehouse job. So he sat and lifted 10 tonne shipping containers all day, which meant he had time to think.

“That was actually pretty comfy.” he said to himself. When he had woke up, he had wanted to stay like that for a while longer, he had only gotten up when he realized where he was and social anxiety overwhelmed him. He thought it was good that he had woken up before Rosa, as that would probably lead to her feeling uncomfortable around him, or so he thought.

The doe’s feelings were the exact opposite of what he felt they were. She hadn’t woken him up because she was scared of what he would say, she hadn’t woken him up because she felt content and happy, the happiest she’d been since she got kicked out.

Speaking of, she had several missed calls, all from her mother, on her phone. She wasn’t sure whether she wanted to answer, as Laurel Deerborn generally supported her husband in most matters, and Rosa wasn’t in the mood to get a lecture from either parent. But, she did miss her family, and she was worried they would call the police if she didn’t respond to them.

Her midday lunch break was coming up, and she decided to use the forty five minutes she had to finally talk with her mother. As her phone rang, she had second thoughts about the call. What if they wanted her back? What if they hired someone to take her back? She had no time to dwell on her fears as her mother appeared onscreen, looking more worried than usual.

“Rosa? Is that you, dear?”

“Yes mother, how are you doing?”

Her mother’s expression shifted from worry to sadness.

“You're father and I have been at odds lately. He seems to think you’ll come crawling back when you run out of money, but I know better. You’re a strong young lady, and I’m doing all I can to make him see that.”

“Thank you, mother. I honestly expected you to side with him and tell me to come back.”

Her mother put on a weak smile.

“I may not show it sometimes, but I can think for myself. I figured you would come back when you’re ready. By the way, what have you been doing since you left?”

Rosa decided telling her mother about her new job and career couldn’t hurt.

“I’m enrolled at ZLS, classes start in two weeks. Other than that, I’ve found a job and a cheap apartment in Tundratown. Things seem to be stable for now, and I think I really can make it.”

The older doe beamed at this.

“That’s amazing Rosa. And I’m not just saying that. It’s very hard to become a functional adult without parental support, but I knew you could do it. I do have one question though.”

“What’s that?”

“How can you afford to live on your own? If I’m correct in assuming you work a minimum wage job, and I definitely couldn’t see myself balancing housing, expenses, and college on that kind of money.”

“Well, about that. I’ve actually found a roommate.”

“Oh, wonderful! What’s her name? And where did you find a deer in your same situation?”

Rosa weighed the pros and cons of correcting her mother. She would probably be uncomfortable with her living with a male, a predator no less. But, if she lied, her lie would be uncovered soon enough. Her mother could see through just about anything.

“Actually it’s a male. He and I have a lot in common, and he’s been quite the gentlemammal.”

“Oh. Well, be sure to be on your guard around the buck anyways. You know how men can be.”

Rosa sighed internally at the older deer’s comment and prepared to tell her the second part of her confession.

“He’s not a buck.”

“Well then, what species is he?”

“He’s a coyote.” 

Her mother sat in silence for at least thirty seconds, and when she spoke it was with a more concerned tone than she had started with.

“Rosa, dear, you are aware of the ‘attacks’ that have been happening, yes? Are you sure living with a predator is a good idea? What if he hurt you? What if he killed you?”

“Mother, he’s half my size. Honestly, if we came to blows, it wouldn’t be much of a contest.”

“That’s what you say, Rosa. When you’re in the heat of the moment there might be other factors at work.”

“I don’t think Milo is going to go savage, mother. There’s absolutely nothing in his character to warrant that kind of behavior.”

Her mother sighed audibly and forced herself to smile again.

“I can’t be forced to like your decisions, dear. But I can respect them, at least for now. I think I’ll refrain from telling your father.”

“Thank you mother. My lunch break is going to be over in a few minutes, so I can’t stay much longer.”

“Of course Rosa. I love you.”

“I love you too, mother.”

And with that, the call was over. Despite her mother’s misgivings about her living arrangements, she felt better than she had in a while. She had a stable income and education, and at least one of her parents was on board with the idea.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all. I'm sorry for the few weeks delay between chapters seven and eight. I had an early writer's block. I guess that's what I get for neglecting to plan out the story beforehand. Anyways, thank you for the attention this story has gotten. I honestly wasn't expecting this to get more than a hundred views, much less twice that. If any of you are invested enough to want updates, I have a twitter account dedicated to this story (@Latras5), so please follow me there if you're interested. Once again, thank you all, and have a productive day.


	10. Questionnaire

Chapter X, Questionnaire 

As usual, Milo was home first. He and Rosa had agreed when they had moved in that since he was out for less time, he’d take care of most of the housework. There wasn’t much to do, since the two roommates were tidy and cleaned up after themselves, so MIlo spent half an hour sweeping the floor and checking the fridge for anything expired. When he was checking the fridge, he didn’t see the salmon he had put up yesterday.

“Huh. Maybe I ate the rest and didn’t remember it.” 

He went to his room and started surfing Chirper for the hour left until his friend got off work.

Rosa walked up the flight of stairs to room 303. She thought some more about Milo’s odd habits, and had come to the conclusion that he was in more or less the same situation as her, minus the restrictive father situation. Having a large source of money would neatly explain his expensive taste and desperation for cheap housing, but she wouldn’t know for sure until she asked, which she intended to do.

Milo looked up from his phone as he heard keys in the lock, and the front door swung open. Rosa stepped in, snow covered, and placed her soggy clothes on the rack by the door.

“Sorry I’m late. I missed the bus and it was faster to walk.”

“Sorry you had to walk through all that, if that ever happens again, I’ll be more than happy to pick you up. I’ll make us some cocoa.”

“That’s very kind of you.”

“Don’t mention it.”

Milo brought two steaming mugs of hot chocolate to the couch table and gave the larger one to his cervine friend. They drank for a minute or two before Rosa broke the silence.

“Why are you here?”

Milo turned his head and arched an eyebrow.

“I mean, you seem like you used to live in a better place.”

Milo’s eyebrow returned to its proper place.

“Oh, I had a pretty nice job a month or so ago. I got fired and now I’m here. No big deal.”

“You got fired? Whatever for?”

Milo sighed and muted the tv.

“You know about the ‘savages’ right?”

“Yes, these attacks that have been going on, right?”

“Exactly. I used to work in a nuclear power plant on the border with the Rainforest District. My boss’s boss hadn’t liked me since I started working there, which was about five years ago, so he decided to turn the crisis to his advantage, and had me and the other pred on the night shift fired. He had my foreman give me some shit about how I was a time bomb or something and basically told me to piss off. So here I am, waiting for this entire fiasco to be over, if it can be over, that is.”

Rosa was hit by a wave of empathy for the now dejected-looking coyote. She had some experience with this type of discrimination, as her father had taken the opportunity to fire the head cook at the Deerborn manor, a Lynx by the name of Harry, but she didn’t know that this was common. Milo had presumably gone to college, got a degree, and then had had all of that taken from him because of scared prey mammals.

“Milo, I’m… I’m so sorry, I...”

She was interrupted.

“You don’t have to apologize for anything. It had nothing to do with you.”

“I just…”

Again, the doe was cut off.

“Don’t even think about it. You’ve been nothing but kind and cordial with me, unlike that bastard Wooling and his crony.”

Rosa had heard that name before, several times in fact. It couldn’t be..

“Raminus Wooling?”

Milo started and his eyebrow traveled up his face again.

“You know him?”

“No, but my father had him over for drinks several times. They always told everyone else to leave the room they were in, including the butler. I had no idea what they talked about, but now that you described Wooling to me I have some idea.”

“Is your father the type to associate with self-serving douchebags?”

Milo looked as if he had regretted his statement moments later.

“Sorry, that was rude towards your family.”

Rosa chuckeld.

“No you were right about my father. He’s actually the reason I’m here.”

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“Yes, it’s only fair that I share my story as well. My family business is pretty successful, we make electronics and things like that. My father wanted me to inherit the conglomerate after I turned thirty, but I didn’t want to.”

“Why not? That sounds like you would be set for life.”

“Two reasons.One, I want to be a lawyer. Instead of draining people of their money by selling overpriced watches and TVs, I want to help people in the only way I can. Two, the Deerborn Conglomerate is cursed.”

Milo’s other eyebrow was now on his forehead, but Rosa continued before he could speak.

“Not the voodoo/shaman/witch type of curse, I just mean there’s some bad history involving the family. Do you know about the T.A.M.E. program?”

Milo nodded.

“Yes, my dad told me. It's when a group of prey in the government tried to lobby for mandatory prison-collar wearing for all preds two or three decades ago. Are you saying that…”

“Unfortunately, yes. My family’s company was one of the few contracted to produce the horrid things. My father even has several dozen prototypes of the collar produced before the mayor vetoed the whole thing. He showed them to me when I was fifteen. He said that he was ‘This close to keeping those dirty chompers in line’ and he wanted me to take up ‘the fight’, as he called it, and start producing the collars under my own administration. Of course, I refused, and he kept trying to convince me to take over the company until it came to a head a month ago when he told me to leave.”

“Wow, I’m so sorry, Rosa. He sounds like an asshole.”

“Yes, quite. I’m actually kind of glad I left when I did, I don’t even want to be associated with the family name anymore. I’ve been considering changing my name, but it would be more trouble than it’s worth.”

“Oh man, that sounds like a tough break. At least you’re going to school soon though.”

“Yes, I feel fairly confident in my ability to pass my classes. I’ve been studying in secret for a while now. My only hang up is money, I’m afraid I won’t be able to pay tuition.”

“Don’t be. I was able to complete two years of college with a minimum wage salary. You’ll be fine, I know it.”

Rosa started to feel more optimistic, spurred on by her friend’s kind words.

“Yes, maybe I can. Thank you, Milo.”

“Anytime.”


	11. Visit

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the short chapters, but I've been planning out the story for a while. Be prepared for at least 4x more fluff in the future, and even some action. Thank you all for the kudos and comments, I appreciate them. And as always, have a wonderful day.

Chapter XI, Visit

Milo had the day off. The warehouse he worked for hadn’t scheduled any shipment transfers for the day, so he had ten hours to kill. He had no idea what he was going to do.

Rosa also had the day off. The cornerstore she worked at was undergoing a deep clean for the day, and she had twelve hours to kill. Like Milo, she also had no idea what she was going to do.

The mammals sat down at their table for the usual pre-work coffee. Then, the time for Milo to leave came and passed.

“Are you not going to work? It's almost six thirty.”

“I’ve got the day off, the warehouse doesn’t need me today.”

“Oh, so we both have the day off. My place of employment isn’t open today.”

Milo’s face brightened. He now had something to do.

“Do you have anything planned?”

“No, do you?”

“I was thinking we could take a trip to the Meadowlands, my friend lives in a small town in the southeast and I haven't seen him since I got laid off. There’s a lot to do there, for a small town, and maybe we could get lunch.”

Rosa mulled over. Milo’s plan sounded an awful lot like a date, and she wasn’t sure what she felt about that. Had it been any other guy, she would’ve said no, citing her need to prepare and study for school, but she wanted to spend time with the canine. She thought it was just because they were close friends, but something in her told her it might be a different reason. Pushing down the small voice, Rosa replied.

“That sounds wonderful, I was honestly just going to sit here for the rest of the day, but a road trip sounds much more interesting.”

Milo smiled.

“Great! The drive’s around two hours, so we’ll be leaving as soon as you’re ready.”

“Okay, let me go freshen up and I’ll be ready.”

With that, the deer rose and walked towards the bathroom. Milo was considerably happier than he was a few minutes ago.

Five minutes later, the pair were in Milo’s car, heading west. Rosa was concerned that she wouldn’t be able to fit in the car, but she was small for a deer, and old Zootopian cars were made with size flexibility in mind. So, while it was a bit cramped, Rosa was surprisingly comfortable in the passenger seat. 

Milo hadn’t seen Nigel for over a month. The last he’d heard, the old ferret had moved to Rockwell, a medium-sized town in the Meadowlands due to his dwindling funds, so he thought he’d pay him a visit. When he had looked up the town, he was surprised at the amount of attractions it had to offer. Museums, theme parks, hiking trails, even a race track. He wasn’t sure what Rosa was interested in, but he’d heard that there was something for everyone there.

“So, this friend of yours. Who is he?”

“We used to work together, he’s in the same situation that I am, but he’s too old to work. He moved to Rockdale for the tax breaks and as far as I can tell, he’s doing fine.”

“I look forward to meeting him.”

“I think he’ll like you.” Milo said as he merged onto the highway.

An hour and a half later, and after a piss break, the duo entered the town of Rockdale, or, the ‘Jewel of the Southeast Meadowlands’ as the welcome sign put it. It was what Milo had expected when he looked it up. About twelve thousand people, no buildings above five stories in sight, vintage town square, the works. He checked his text conversation with Nigel a few days ago, 220 Wilton street. He hadn’t told the ferret that he was coming, but he didn’t expect him to have anything to do.

As he pulled up in front of the unkempt house, Milo grew concerned for his aging friend’s well-being. The fence was completely destroyed in places, the once-white paint was peeling off the house, and there was at least one cracked window. Rosa peered over his shoulder at the wreck of a home.

“Is that his house? It looks rather disrepaired to me.”

“Yep, I think he’s still getting over being fired. You know how it is.”

Milo stepped out of his car into the tall grass of Nigel’s lawn. Thankfully, the stone brick path wasn’t unwalkable, and he walked to the door, Rosa in tow. He knocked three times, before a familiar, although dejected, sounding voice answered.

“Come in.”

Milo pushed the door open, and was greeted with a surprisingly clean interior. He had expected a total mess, but it seemed the old man had been better at keeping his home liveable than it seemed. There was some evidence of the building’s age in the woodwork and furniture, but it looked comfortable, and almost homey.

While he was thinking about why the outside was in such disrepair, a graying muzzle showed itself from around the corner to the living room.

“Milo? Holy shit, it's you! Where’ve you been, man?”

“It's good to see you too, Nigel. I’ve been trying to stabilize things on my end. I’ve found a job and a place to stay, so you could say it's been going extremely well.”

Nigel chuckled.

“That’s good to hear. How’s about you come sit down and tell me all about it.”

“I’d love too, but I’d like to introduce you to someone first.”

With that, Rosa stepped into the hallway.

“Nigel, Rosa. Rosa, Nigel.”

“Pleased to meet you, Mr. Kensington.”

“The pleasure is mine, Miss, uh?”

“Deerborn. Rosa Deerborn.”

Nigel’s face darkened slightly. It wasn’t enough for Rosa to notice, but Milo had known him for years, and he certianly did.

“Deerborn. Say, are you related to…”

Rosa cut him off mid-sentence.

“I’ve cut off ties with my family, I can assure you I don’t share my family’s sentiments, especially about predators.”

Nigel put on a more cheerful expression.

“That’s good to know, Ms. Deerborn. Come in, there’s a table and chairs in my living room.”

The canine and cervine followed Nigel to the living room, and took seats at an old table against the back wall.

“Well, it's been a good while since i’ve seen you. What’s been going on, man?”

Milo responded.

“I found a job at a warehouse, and so far I’ve been able to live pretty comfortably. I’m not sure if I’ll ever get the old job back, but the way things are going, I’d say it’ll be a while.”

Nigel nodded his agreement.

“Do you have any clue as to what the hell’s going on? It's like people just go insane for no reason in broad daylight. People give me looks when I go out, and I’ve even been banned from the only good bar in this remote piss-hole.”

“No idea, man. But it's been more or less the same in the city. Tundratown’s been pretty quiet, but I’ve heard other parts of Zootopia are going to shit.”

Rosa decided to enter the conversation.

“I think it's completely unfounded. People who disliked predators in the first place are using this to spread fear and their own backwards sentiments, like your old plant manager, or my father.”

Milo and Nigel turned towards the doe. Rosa had thought she had done something wrong for a few long seconds until Milo grinned and Nigel laughed.

“I like the cut of your jib, young lady. I’m glad at least one member of high society has some brains. Which begs the question, why are you here? I thought growing up rich was restrictive as hell.”

“It is, but I no longer live with my parents. Milo and I are roommates, and I’m going to college to try and become independent from my family.”

“That’s great, you’ve got balls. Well, eh, you know what I mean.”

“Thank you, Mr. Kensington.”

“Call me Nigel, any friend of Mi’s is a friend of mine.”

The conversation continued into the early afternoon, before Milo had to wrap it up.

“Well, it's been nice seeing ya, but we gotta go if we want to get lunch and get back to the city before dark.”

Nigel nodded.

“Ah yes, the curfew. Yet another mindless restriction in these uncertain times. Well, I wish you both the best of luck in whatever comes next. You’ll always have a friend in me.”

“We feel the same, Nigel.” Milo said as Rosa nodded.

“See you, you young bastard.” Nigel said, as his larger friends got into their car and drove off, towards the city center.

“So, anywhere you’d like to eat in particular?”

Rosa shook her head.

“I can look up restaurants while you drive.”

“Sounds good, tell me if you find anything worth checking out.”

Rosa scrolled through her phone, and Milo drove. A few minutes later, she spoke up.

“There’s a seafood place that specializes in multi-species diets, it looks like we could both find something to eat.”

“What’s it called?”

Rosa snickered.

“Bubba’s Fine Seafood.”

It was Milo’s turn to laugh.

“Typical.”

The place was on the riverfront, and it looked like one of those industrial building turned homestyle restaurants that were popular a few decades ago. They got out of the car and walked in, and were greeted by a coyote waitress standing at a small podium in the lobby.

“Welcome to Bubba’s, sit wherever y’all like, and I’ll be with y’all in a second.”

The pair chose a booth adorned with fishing paraphernalia and sat in silence, looking at the menu. Before long, the waitress that had greeted them walked up to their table. 

“Hi there! What can I get you folks to drink?”

“I'll take a Cola.”

“I will have a water, with lemon please.”

The waitress nodded.

“You betcha, I’ll be right out.”

She left, but her eyes lingered on Milo a bit longer than was comfortable. Rosa cleared her throat and began talking.

“So, Nigel seems like a nice man.”

“Yeah, but he doesn’t show that side to just anyone. You should count yourself lucky that he didn’t give you the ‘angry old man’ act that he gives everyone else.”

“He gives everybody else an ‘angry old man’ act?”

“Yeah, he usually wants people to stay away from him. He likes you.”

They waited another minute before the waitress returned and gave them their drinks.

“So, have y’all decided what you want?”

Rosa went first.

“I’ll have the veggie sandwich.”

“I’ll have the popcorn shrimp.”

“Of course, handsome. Your food will be out in a few minutes.”

Rosa glared at the she-coyote as she sauntered away, putting emphasis on her hip movements.

“Did she just call you handsome?”

“I think she did. I can’t tell why, though.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’m not especially attractive, for a coyote. I’d say I’m about average. There must be a lack of non-ugly guys here.” Milo said with a chuckle.

“I don’t think you’re average.” Rosa said before she could stop herself.

“You don’t?”

“You’re objectively quite handsome.”

Rosa could feel her mouth moving, and she could hear the words spilling out of her mouth, but she was powerless to stop them.

Across the table, Milo was about as flustered as she was.

“Does she really mean that?” He thought to himself.

“Th.. Thank you, Rosa. You’re, uh, not so bad yourself.”

While Milo was trying to figure out what the fuck he had just said, Rosa turned her gaze to the floor, her blush intensifying.

Their food came about ten minutes of awkward silence later.

“Here y’all go. Enjoy!”

With that, they tucked in. It wasn’t the worst shrimp Milo had eaten, but it wasn’t going to win an award anytime soon. Rosa’s lettuce sandwich was more of the same, except it was sheep-sized. Within a minute, she had finished her disproportionate sandwich, and Milo, seeing her predicament, had another of his million-dollar ideas. He had a pretty good inkling of who ate the last of the salmon, as he hadn’t and there was only one other person in the apartment.

“Want a shrimp? I ordered a dozen, so you can have a couple, if you want.”

“I… are you sure? I don’t want to eat your food.”

“Nah, it's okay.” Milo said, discreetly passing a morsel to Rosa’s empty plate.

The doe looked around and surreptitiously put the seafood in her mouth. It wasn’t as good as Milo’s salmon, but it was still a new experience.

“Is it good?”

“Yes, very. Thank you.”

“No problem.”

The waitress brought over the bill, which Milo insisted on paying. After a minute of argument, Rosa caved and let him pick up the bill.

“Let’s get back home before curfew. I don’t want to get pulled over, ‘specially right now.”

“I would not either, let’s go.”

And with that, they started towards home.


	12. Disaster

Chapter XII, Disaster

When Milo pulled up to the building, it was a scene of total chaos. Police cruisers and ambulances were scattered around the block, and there was a layer of yellow tape covering the entrance to his apartment block. He glanced towards Rosa, who looked back at him with an equally concerned look.

“We’d better see what’s going on.”

“Yes, let’s.”

They stepped out of the car, and Milo noticed there were no predator officers standing around.

“Huh, strange.” He thought, before he was stopped by an antelope in police uniform.

“Sorry sir, you can’t go beyond this line,” he said, indicating a line of officers in front of the shattered front windows, “Chief's orders.”

Milo was absolutely not in the mood for any bullshit. He had driven over three hours that day, and his only goal in mind was to get some sleep before work tomorrow.

“But I live here! Where the fuck am I supposed to sleep?”

“The government has arranged rooms in local hotels for all displaced persons, sir. Please take this voucher.”

The antelope handed him two hotel vouchers for an inn a few miles away. Rosa looked at hers, and then asked the question that was on Milo’s mind.

“What exactly happened here, officer?”

The officer glanced to his superior, who shook his head slowly.

“I, uh, I’m not at liberty to say, ma’am. Please, go to your assigned hotel before curfew starts.”

“We have been evicted from our apartment, the least we deserve is to know why.”

“Ma’am please…”

Milo cut him off.

“Answer the fucking question, dipshit.”

The antelope turned to him.

“Sir, I have no authority to disclose information about this event. Now, please step away from me.”

The officer put his hand on his taser.

“You think you can threaten me, asshole?” Milo said, getting angrier with every passing sentence. “Tell us what’s going the fuck on!”

The three mammals looked up, as a shadow loomed over them. It was a rhino, apparently this officer’s superior, and he didn’t look happy.

“Sir, please leave.”

“I pay my fucking rent, like everyone else, I deserve an explanation!

Rosa put a hoof on his shoulder.

“Milo, let’s go. We can find out later.”

The coyote seemed to deflate, losing his anger almost instantly.

“You’re right, let’s go.” He said, shooting the rhino a glare.

They got back into the car, and drove to their hotel.

“I’ll check us in. You stay comfortable.” Milo said.

He walked into the lobby, and came out a few minutes later.

“Did the cop give you any vouchers?”

Rosa shook her head.

“No, he did not. Is there a problem?”

“It’s just that the only room available has one bed.”

Rosa was taken aback. Did that mean that they would share a bed?

“That’s fine.” She said, perhaps a little too quickly.

“I mean, I can sleep on a cot, or something like one. I’m sure that this hotel has some that we can acquire.”

“Absolutely not, I’m not gonna let you sleep on some cot. You can take the bed.”

“I don’t want you to be uncomfortable, Milo. Perhaps we could, share?”

Milo internally blushed. She wanted to share the bed?

“I, uh, are you sure? I don’t want to make things awkward.”

“I’m sure, Milo. Now let’s get the room.”

“Y-yeah, I’ll do that.”

Milo reentered the lobby and gave his coupon to the receptionist. Since they only had what they had brought with them in the morning, they didn’t have any luggage to haul up the stairs, which was a blessing. The room wasn’t small, but, as Milo had said, it had only one queen-size bed.

“Well, let’s get some sleep. We have work tomorrow.”

“Agreed. Good night, Milo.”

“Night.”

They got under the covers in their respective sides of the bed, but as they drifted off, they found themselves drifting towards each other.

When Milo woke up, he was almost too comfortable. At first, he wondered why he had bought a heated body pillow and wrapped it around himself, but he soon remembered when he woke up a few days ago. Rosa was spooning him, but wasn’t unpleasant. In fact, he felt warm and protected by the larger mammal. This time, he didn’t get up. It was just so comfortable, and he didn’t want to spoil it for himself. Rosa, like before, had woken up before him, and she too didn’t want to spoil the moment. They had to wake up in time for work, and Rosa was the first to rise. Delicately untangling herself from what she assumed was a sleeping canine, she went to the room’s coffee maker. She would’ve changed and washed up if she had been able to get her things from the apartment last night. Milo rose minutes later, and they both went down to get some complimentary breakfast. Milo knew that the deer had gotten close to him while he slept, and she knew that he had too earlier, but they both didn’t want to acknowledge it.

Milo thought about work. The warehouse wasn’t too far away, but he knew there was some pretty heavy traffic in between the hotel and his workplace. So, he decided to walk. He’d have to leave about thirty minutes earlier, but some exercise would do him good.

Rosa didn’t have to walk. Out of pure luck, the hotel was directly in front of a bus stop, so she could just hop on public transport to get where she needed to go.

Milo was thankful he’d stuck a hat and coat in his car before he left yesterday, as he wasn’t fond of freezing to death. He bundled up and set off towards work. While walking, he thought about yesterday’s and last night’s events. Rosa had been fine with sharing a bed, she had complimented him, and she’d even cared about him enough to drag him away from a conflict that would’ve ended very badly. If he didn’t know better, he’d think that she liked him, but he was sure it was all explainable as a prey or female thing. There was no need to get worked up over a few innocuous comments.

Rosa was getting worked up over a few innocuous comments. Had he really meant it when he complimented her yesterday? And had he really not gotten out of bed when he woke up that morning. Rosa wasn’t ready to acknowledge her feelings towards the coyote, but there was no mistaking that she felt closer to him than she had with any of her previous friends. It remained to be seen if it was any more than just a close friendship.

The day was uneventful, and by seven, both mammals had met back up at their room. There were still multiple officers keeping their building on lockdown, and they only had one night left before their hotel coupons ran out. Milo hoped whatever was going on would be solved soon.

Milo and Rosa sat at their room’s small table, eating lunch, when Rosa glanced at the muted tv in the corner.

“Milo, turn the sound on.”

Milo was confused, but the urgent undertones in the doe’s voice convinced him to do as she said. He grabbed the remote and turned towards the television as he unmuted it.

“-ews on the attack yesterday afternoon in east Tundratown.”

Milo’s stomach dropped. Whatever the anchor was about to say, he was sure it wasn’t going to be good.

“The ZPD has just now released information about the suspected savage attack in the docks district of Tundratown, it has been confirmed that the owner of the apartment building that the attack occurred in, a black bear, seemingly went ‘savage’ and proceeded to roam the building for minutes before police were able to respond to the scene. There are half a dozen mammals currently in critical condition at Tundratown General Hospital, thankfully, nobody was killed. This marks the fifth such attack this month, and experts are still baffled as to what is causing i-”

Milo turned the tv off entirely. He turned to Rosa.

“I’ll get a different room for tonight.”

Rosa was shocked. She had seen nothing in her friend’s behavior to suggest he was at risk of going ‘savage’, yet he wanted to isolate himself as if he were carrying some sort of disease.

“Absolutely not, there is no need to give in to fear, I-”

“I knew Jorge. He was the nicest bear I ever meant, he even gave me a month’s rent for free when we moved in. If he could ‘go savage’, it means anyone could. There’s no need to put yourself in harm's way, I’m getting another room.”

“But I-”

“Goodnight, Rosa.”

Milo walked out of the room, shooting the deer a sad glance as he closed the door. He went down to the lobby and reserved himself a room. That night, he cried for the first time in a while.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promised more plot, didn't I?


	13. Blood

Chapter XIII, Blood

The days went by, and contact between the duo became more and more rare. The apartment building had opened up again, but there were reminders of the previous happenings there. A long gouge in the stairway walls where the ex-landlord's claws had connected with drywall, and a faint twinge of blood that spoke of the carnage that had occurred. Milo had continued with his self-isolation routine for half a week, and both mammals were starting to feel the strain. Besides a greeting in the mornings, the two rarely spoke, and Rosa was worried that her friend might become some sort of hermit with the direction he was heading.

Meanwhile, Milo had continued walking to work. He found the cold air good for thinking, and think he did. He thinked about what was going on, surely there was some sort of reasonable explanation to all of this, one that didn’t involve ‘biology’ as the police had said. Yet, Milo knew that was most likely it. He didn’t want to go savage, he was scared, scared of spending the rest of his life basically unconscious and in some lab, scared of hurting someone, especially Rosa, scared of what the city would do to itself if the trend continued. 

“Shit, they might even bring back the collars.” Milo thought to himself, before he noticed a group of people standing on the sidewalk before him.

“Hey, chomper,” a drunk looking ibex said, “We see you walking past here every day. How about you go back to the slums, where you're kind are supposed to live. Don’t you know it's dangerous to go walking around in broad daylight like that? Someone could get hurt.”

“Piss off. I’m just trying to get to work. If you’re so scared, why don’t you go running back to whatever shithole you live in, huh?”

The Ibex, who seemed to be the leader of the group, pulled something out of his belt. A nightstick.

“I didn’t mean to imply that we would get hurt, oh no. We’re gonna take you off the street before you can maul someone, savage.” 

Milo began to realize just how bad of a situation he was in. There were at least four mammals standing in front of him, and all of them were armed with some sort of weapon, from the Ibex’s nightstick to a ram holding a curtain rod.

“Hey, why don’t you assholes just let m-”

“We’re gonna teach you a lesson, chomper! Get his ass!”

The Ibex leapt at Milo, brandishing his nightstick. Milo had some experience in paw-to-paw combat, but he knew he couldn’t outmatch four mammals with weapons. He ran for it.

Rosa had had enough. Milo had been distant for too long, and she was going to do something. Her boss was nice enough to give her the day off, and she was determined to talk to the coyote, one way or another. She thought about how the conversation was going to go on the bus ride there, and a strange thought occurred to her. She probably had realized it sooner, but she liked the coyote. The awkward semi-flirting, the close friendship, the compliments, the unconscious snuggling, now that she put it all together, that wasn’t something that ‘just friends’ did. She, she loved him. While she wasn’t sure the feeling was mutual, but she had seen people in this situation, how they didn’t ever confess to their crush, and how they’d never know if they felt the same way. Rosa wouldn’t let that happen. If Milo didn’t feel the same way, she would just drop the subject, and she was sure they could continue life as friends. He’d understand, at least, she hoped he’d understand. 

The city bus stopped at the closest bus stop to the docks, about half a mile away. Rosa could see a group of mammals in the distance. They were running, and she assumed they were just joggers.

“Fuck fuck fuck fuck!” Milo said. They were gaining on him. The largest among them, a male deer, had a stride almost as long as his body, and they were going to be on him in a few seconds if he didn’t do something.

Then, a black haze enveloped Milo for a few seconds as something hit the back of his head, hard. He turned around in time to get another thwack from the buck’s baseball bat, this time across his muzzle. He yelped in pain, and fell to the ground as the deer’s friends caught up with them.

“This is it,” Milo thought, “I’m gonna fucking die and nobody’s going to find my body. Shit, I wish I told Rosa how I feel.”

Another blow, this time from a nightstick. Milo felt a rib break, and he suppressed the urge to yelp again. His last hope was that they would get bored of beating the shit out of him and leave, but he knew that they would continue until he was a bloody pulp.

Milo felt his brain shutting down, either from pain or sheer damage, he couldn’t think anymore. He tried to stand, but someone with a hoof kicked him back down. He could still feel his lower body, which meant his spine hadn’t taken any kind of lethal beating, but he couldn’t stand up. The same hoof that had kicked him down then stomped on his left arm, and he could feel it shatter.

He couldn’t scream anymore, only whimper like a puppy. Something had connected with his throat and he had lost his voice. He wished they would just kill him and end the pain.

Rosa walked down the sidewalk, towards the group of mammals. She couldn't tell what was going on from here, but it appeared that they had stopped running and were instead focusing on something on the ground. Rosa squinted, she didn’t have the best eyesight, but she could recognize the silhouette of someone swinging a weapon at the ground. She started running. 

Milo’s right eye was out of action. He couldn’t see past the blood that enveloped his face, coming from a gash on his forehead. He could, however, hear what was going on. He heard one of his assailants speak.

“Hey there beautiful. We were just showing this chomper his proper place, maybe you and I sh-” He was inexplicably cut off, and Milo felt blessed relief as the beating stopped, the most he could do was turn an ear towards the scuffle he could hear happening.

Rosa ran towards the scene. The mammals were indeed swinging at something, no, someone on the ground, and it took a few long seconds before Rosa recognized the limp canid on the sidewalk, surrounded by a pool of his own blood.

It was like the red of the blood on the ice spread to cloud out her vision. They were beating her friend. They were KILLING her friend. Through the haze, she could just make out a form turning to speak to her. A buck, with a baseball bat in his hand.

“Hey there beautiful. We were just showing this chomper his proper place, maybe you and I sh-”

He stopped talking when a hoof connected with his muzzle. Rosa was never a violent mammal, like her father, but it felt good when she heard a crack as the deer’s nose broke. Dropping his bat, he clutched his now bleeding face, staggering backwards. He’d obviously not expected this kind of reaction from her. Taking the opportunity, she grabbed the fallen weapon and started swinging.

Milo finally gathered enough strength to open one of his eyes. He looked up in time to see the buck’s bat connect with his own stomach, and he saw the assailant fall to the ground. 

“Holy shit.” He muttered, recognizing his saviour. It was Rosa, and she looked pissed.

She swung, and swung, and swung. The deer had already gone down, and she set her sights on a ram wielding a curtain rod. The bat connected with his arm, and while she wasn’t the best batter, he clutched it in pain and started running backwards, which resulted in him slipping on the ice and falling on his ass.

Rosa’s red vision cleared slightly when she saw the Ibex pull something out of his jacket, a .22 revolver. Guns weren’t exactly illegal in Zootopia, but one had to go through weeks of paperwork if they wanted to acquire one. She’d have to talk with whoever gave this asshole one, assuming she survived this encounter, which was a dimming prospect. The ibex smirked, but before he could even cock the hammer, a police cruiser roared around the corner. The antelope that had been standing outside their apartment a week earlier stepped out of the passenger seat.

“ZPD! FUCKING FREEZE!”

The ibex cursed under his breath, and shot. Rosa felt a sharp pain in her abdomen as the round connected with her flesh. Before the ibex could get off another shot, two electrified barbs embedded themselves in his chest, sending thousands of volts into his body. The remaining member of the mob, a jackrabbit, tried to flee, but was tackled by a hefty-looking mountain goat, and he went down.

The antelope officer turned to Rosa, who was now clutching her side.

“Ma’am, do you need medical assistance?”

“No, check on him first.” She said, gesturing to the motionless pile of coyote.

“Is that, holy fuck!” The officer exclaimed, looking at the broken mess on the sidewalk. “JACK! WE’RE GONNA NEED PARAMEDICS!” He yelled to his partner, who had just finished securing the conscious arrestees with handcuffs. He ran back to the cruiser and started talking to a dispatch officer.

Rosa’s adrenaline high was wearing off, and the pain of the bullet in her side was starting to set in. She groaned, and slumped against a lightpost as the lights of an ambulance filled her vision.


	14. Recovery

Chapter XIV, Recovery

Tundratown general was a relatively small and underfunded hospital, compared to others in the district, but it was a heaven on earth to Milo Latras. He’d been on a steady stream of morphine and who knows what else for a day and a half, as the doctors waited for his injuries to heal. His injuries, however, weren’t in the forefront of his mind, he could only think about Rosa. She’d saved him, and she;d almost died for it. He wasn’t able to form a coherent thought long enough to dwell on it, but he could speak, and he kept requesting to see his friend. Dr. Abernathy, the doctor in charge of his recovery, had to deny every request, citing the need for rest and relaxation. So Milo sat in bed, waiting for his body to fix itself.

The attack had done a number on him. His left arm was in a sling, his head was covered with a thick layer of bandages, he even had an eyepatch. When he had asked if anything would be permanent, he was told no, and that he would be out of the hospital in at least two weeks.

Rosa was in a different wing of the hospital. The bullet hadn’t been big enough to be lethal, and it hadn’t hit anything important. She would have a scar, but that was the worst of it. Whilst she was almost ready to leave the hospital, she had been barred from visiting Milo until he was strong enough to receive company. She’d been angry about this, but after thinking, she realized that seeing her friend would probably be detrimental to them both, at least for a few days.

Rosa, however, could receive visitors, and she looked to her door as it opened softly, and her mother stepped into the room.

“Rosa, sweetheart, what happened?” Her mother asked, in a panic. “The hospital called me but they wouldn’t tell me anything, why are you in a bed?”

“It’s nothing, mother. I don’t have any threatening injuries.”

“I can see that you’re doing alright, but please tell me what happened!”

“I’ve been shot.”

Her mother stopped in her tracks.

“What?”

“I've been shot, mother. The doctors say that the bullet didn’t hit anything vital, so I’ll be fine.”

“What, when, why?!”

“Have a seat.” Rosa said, beckoning to a chair next to her bed. After her mother sat, she began telling her story.

“So you risked your life to save your flatmate?”

“Mother, I think he’s more than a flatmate, or a friend, to me.”

“Rosa, are you saying that you love him?”

“I believe so, but I think I might be moving too fast. I’ve known him for two months, if that, and he’s a predator, and-”

Laurel Deerborn could tell that her daughter was working herself up, and pulled her into a gentle hug, taking care to avoid the bullet wound.

“It’s okay to feel that way, Rosa. I know most people don’t approve of that kind of relationship, but you’ll always have my support. As for your concerns over moving too fast, you two have been through more in a few months than most couples do in a year, you’re even living together. I’m sure that he’d understand how you feel, and from what you’ve told me about him, he might feel the same way.”

Rosa felt reassured by her mother’s words, and resolved to see Milo whenever she could, and talk about their relationship.

“Thank you. I still haven't told him, but I think I will soon.”

“You tell that boy your feelings soon, young lady.”

Rosa smiled.

“The doctors say that he’s still quite injured, and he’s not going to be able to receive visitors for a day or two.”

“Very well, I’ll stay at a hotel until you both are recovered.”

“There’s no need for that mother.”

“Nonsense, I’m staying, and that’s final.”

Rosa was surprised, she had never seen her mother so assertive.

“If you insist, you can stay at Milo and I’s apartment. We’re definitely not going to be there for a few days.”

“Are you sure, honey? I don’t want to invade your privacy.”

“It’s fine, mother. Here, let me give you the key.”

Rosa pulled the spare key she always kept in her pocket out, and handed it to the elder doe.

“When you go in, my room is at the back left. Make yourself at home.”

“Thank you, that’s very kind. If there’s anything you need, give me a call.”

“I will, stay safe.”

“You as well.”

Two days came and passed, and Milo’s doctor deemed him stable enough to have company. Of course, the first person to see him was Rosa.

“Oh my.” She said as she walked into the room. She had expected it to be bad, she’d been there at the scene of the crime, after all. This, however, was worse than she was expecting. 

Milo looked so fragile, laying there in his oversized hospital bed. He had an IV drip in his unbroken arm, probably administering painkillers, and his head was covered in bandages. He even had an eyepatch covering his right eye. His chest and arm were covered in gauze, presumably he had broken a rib as well as his arm. He smiled weakly, as if he didn’t have the strength for a full smile.

“Hey.”

All it took was one word for Rosa to collapse into a chair, stupefied.

“M-Milo, I’m, I’m so sorry. I-”

“Nope, don’t wanna hear it. You have nothing to apologize for, in fact, I should be the one saying sorry for pushing you away like that.”

“No. I want to apologize for,” she took a deep breath, “for not telling you my feelings.”

Milo wasn’t sure what to think, but he was hopeful. Was she about to say what he thought she was?

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, I, uh, I think I love you, Milo Latras.”

He grinned. He’d known that he had loved her for weeks, and recent events had only solidified that feeling.

“I think I love you too, Rosa.”

Rosa’s mother was standing outside the door, her ear pressed up against it. She was proud of her daughter, and she wished nothing but the best for her and Milo.

“Are, are you sure?”

“I am.”

With that, Rosa and Milo leaned in towards each other, but before their lips could connect, the room’s TV unmuted. The surprised pair broke away from each other, and stared at the familiar news anchor on the screen.

“Hello, viewers. I’m Peter Moosebridge, and this is ZNN at eight. Tonight’s story, Mayor Dawn Bellwether is in police custody, following evidence of a suspected plot against the citizens of Zootopia. Officer Judy Hopps, who some of our viewers might remember, with assistance from a non-police third party, has uncovered documentation and physical evidence that the mayor herself has been behind the recent savage attacks.”

The screen cut to several evidence photos of a briefcase containing what looked like a pellet gun, and small glass balls full of a purple liquid.

“This weapon was recovered from a secret and illegal laboratory, and its function is to expose predators to a toxic chemical known as the ‘Night Howler Syndrome’, after the flower it is distilled from. This serum induces a state of advanced delirium and violence, otherwise known as ‘savagery’ It appears that the mayor has been deliberately targeting predators to induce panic and fear in the-”

The TV continued to give off sound as Moosebridge explained the hoax in further detail, but Milo and Rosa only had eyes for each other. They leaned in once again, and their lips finally connected.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two chapters in a day! I know it seems like the end is in sight, but I have things planned to keep this story going. Please follow @Latras5 on twitter to get on-time updates for the story.


	15. Normalcy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those of you who don't know, I'm currently typing up this story in-between online classes. We get fifteen minute breaks, and to be honest, it's a bit too much. Anyways, have a chapter!

Chapter XV, Normalcy

The crisis was over, the city was safe, and Milo was still confined to a bed. His injuries were healing nicely, though, and his release date had been pushed forward a few days. On his release day, Rosa was alongside him.

“Do you need any help?”

“I can walk. Thanks for asking.” Milo said, walking outside. “Man, was the sun always this bright?”

Rosa giggled.

“You’ve been inside for ten days, of course it looks bright.” she said, affectionately holding his hand. The pair had tried to figure out the nuances of their relationship over the past week, but it was hard for Milo to express feelings in words. Rosa had been very understanding, however, and she helped him gather his thoughts in his painkiller-ridden mind.

“Do you want to catch a bus home? I don’t want you to be up and moving longer than is necessary.”

“No, the cold feels nice. It's like having an ice pack on my whole body.”

They walked in silence, just enjoying each other’s presence. Milo thought about the whirlwind that had been his recovery. He’d been invited back to his job at the power plant, which he had immediately accepted, and he’d heard that Nigel was returning too. Several prominent figures in the city had been arrested for connections to Bellwether's conspiracy, and it seemed as if things were on track to become normal sooner than later. There had been a nonstop city-wide celebration in the week following the mayor’s arrest, as streets filled with mammals of all walks of life wanting to express their relief that it was finally over. Milo had heard rumors of a three-day long party in the middle of Pack Street.

Milo was so preoccupied with the events of the last week, he didn’t notice that they had arrived until Rosa pointed it out.

“We’re here. Sorry for not telling you earlier, but my mother has been staying there for a week.”

“Why? Hasn’t she already seen that you’re fine and recovering?”

“She wants to be sure that I’m fine, and she also wants to meet you.”

Milo stopped.

“Me? Why me?”

“I’ve told her about our relationship. My guess is that she wants to size you up, she’s been very protective since I was shot.”

“I’d be too. Let’s not keep her waiting.”

They went in, together, and saw Jorge, the previously savage landlord, at the center of a group of mammals. He looked like he was having a good time, so they passed by the group. The stairwell wallpaper had been replaced, and Milo could no longer detect the smell of blood under the layer of pine-scented air freshener. It felt metaphorical, as if the city as a whole was contained in a twenty square meter room.

They climbed up to the third floor. Milo’s injuries were severe, but luckily, his legs hadn’t been broken, so he was still able to move around. The bandages around his head had come off, but he still had an eyepatch and a sling. Rosa didn’t like being reminded of his pain every time she looked at his bandaging, but he thought it made him look like a pirate, which was amusing to her.

“Here we are, home sweet home.” Milo said as Rosa unlocked the door.

His home looked like it did when he left it two weeks ago. Same threadbare carpet, same peeling wallpaper, same old couch, and oven, and table. He loved it.

“Oh, you should’ve warned me you were coming! I would’ve made coffee, or some cocoa.”

“It’s fine mother. I’d like you to meet Milo.”

Her mother stood up, she was shorter than the younger doe by a few inches, but she still had at least a foot on Milo. Looking him up and down, her expression softened.

“Oh, you poor thing.” She said, pulling him into a soft hug. Milo looked over to his girlfriend, who just shrugged. 

“Go with it.” she mouthed to him.

He nodded, and returned the hug.

The old deer pulled away and smiled.

“Rosa has told me a lot about you. You’ve made quite the impression on her.”

“She’s told you all good things, I hope.”

Laurel Deerborn laughed.

“She has. You’re quite the gentlemammal, Mr. Latras.”

“Please, call me Milo.”

“Okay, Milo. You can call me Laurel. I think it's a bit too early to be calling me ‘mom’, but, with the way things are going between you two, you might be my son-in-law someday.”

Milo blushed.

“I don’t know about that. I love your daughter, Laurel, but we want to take it nice and easy.” he said, smiling at Rosa. She smiled back.

“Yes, mother. Thank you for supporting us. Speaking of, what is father doing right now?”

Her mother’s happy expression fell off of her face, and was replaced by a melancholy look.

“Arthur’s been arrested.”

“Whatever for?”

“It seems he was in league with the ex-mayor. Bellwether’s administration was making plans to re-activate collar production, and the Deerborn Conglomerate was supposed to make them.”

Rosa wished she was more surprised by her father’s actions, but she had expected him to have some connection to the nighthowler scandal, but she didn’t expect him to be so deeply ingrained in the mayor’s plans. He had tried to enslave zootopian citizens twice now, and he was finally going to face justice.

“Good. I hope he gets a sentence that lasts for the rest of his miserable life.”

Rosa covered her mouth. She hadn’t meant to say that out loud. She turned her head to look at the two mammals now staring at her. Milo’s reaction was expected, light shock as he realized she had just said that about her father, but her mother’s reaction was completely unexpected. It wasn’t an expression of anger, or disgust, or of disappointment, she had plastered a smirk on her face.

“I’m, I'm sorry. That was out of tur-”

“No, I agree.” Laurel interjected. “He deserves every day of prison time coming to him.”

“But, he’s your husband!” It was apparently Milo’s turn to speak. “You’re, married, and stuff.”

Laurel turned to the confused canid.

“I never managed to bring myself to love him. He was always too self-centered, he never had time to listen to anyone else. Even when Rosa was born, he continued making his plans of prey supremacy, leaving me and the servants to raise her.”

“If that is the case, why did you marry him?” Rosa said. 

“Money. My parents owned a company that was looking to be absorbed into the conglomerate, and they arranged our marriage to seal the deal. Love had nothing to do with it.”

Milo understood now how someone like Laurel Deerborn could be married to a man like Arthur.

“I’m sorry, that must’ve sucked.”

“It was an absolutely shitty thirty years. I wish I’d gotten out of it when I could, but all that’s behind us. I’ve filed the divorce papers, and I don’t think i’ll have any trouble separating myself from my former husband.”

“You’re divorcing father?” Rosa asked. “That’s good. I don’t want to be associated with him anymore.”

“Yes, and I'm taking my maiden name back.”

“That’s good. I’d do the same, given the situation.” Milo said.

The trio sat in silence for a minute, before the silence was broken.

“Well, you two seem like you have things under control here, I’d best return to the estate and sort out the mess of dissolving the conglomerate. I’ll be sure to visit sometime, and don’t forget to call me.”

“Goodbye, mother.”

“Seeya, Laurel.”

The deer waved and walked out of the door, closing softly as she left.

“Your mom seems nice.” Milo said.

“Sorry, that was weird.”

The pair laughed and looked at each other.

“So, what do you want to do? I have a week’s paid medical leave before work starts.”

“School starts in a week, I need to study. Maybe we could do it together?”

Milo wagged his tail. Rosa knew that canines did that sometimes, but had never actually seen it happen. It was cute. Milo seemed to notice that he was doing it, and his tail drooped as he made it stop.

“Sorry.”

“Why would you say that?”

“Tail wagging is a bit of a social taboo. It's a bit like howling in public, people think it’s disruptive.”

“I don’t think so, I think it’s cute.”

Milo blushed. 

“How about we do some studying, then?”

“Let’s.”


	16. Returning

Chapter XVI, Returning

Milo looked at his dashboard clock as he pulled into a familiar parking lot. It was almost eight. It had been three months since he had left the place, at least, and nothing had changed about the exterior of the power plant. Same grey walls, same Zootopian Energy logo, same reinforced windows. It was reassuring. Milo had heard, through Nigel, that Director Wooling, Foreman Burton, and a few mammals in upper management had been fired by the city. They’d been linked to the conspiracy, and were but a few among the hundreds of arrests as information about the plot trickled in from various sources.

Milo walked into a strangely empty lobby. Normally, there would be a receptionist and at least one visitor, but that wasn’t the case. He shrugged it off as the staff going through changes. He went to his locker in the changing room and took out his plant scrubs. He’d never been officially fired, so they were where he had left them all of those months ago. Putting them on, he left his day outfit where the uniform had been, and made the trip to the control room door. Sighing with resolve, he pushed the heavy steel doors open to find, nothing. A dark and empty room, all of the stations set to automatic mode. It reminded him of when his high school had shut down for a week and nobody had told him not to bother showing up. He stood there and waited for his night vision to kick in so he could try and figure out what was going on.

“What the fu-” was all he had time to say before the fluorescent lights came on with a buzz, and a dozen mammals were revealed, all except one emerging from behind their consoles. After blinking reflexively several times, Milo focused on the worker in the center, an old mustelid. He grinned.

“Welcome back, Milo!” the plant staff shouted in unison, before coming in for a gentle hug, all being careful to avoid his still healing arm. He really hadn’t expected a welcome back, and it was almost enough to make him cry. Almost.

“Alright, softies. Let the man go.” Nigel said.

Grinning, Milo extracted himself from the pile and walked to his friend. He was about to begin speaking when he noticed the ferret’s badge. Nigel Kensington, Senior Plant Director.

“No way.” Milo said

Nigel saw the coyote looking at his badge.

“Yes way. When Wooling and Warton got the boot, I was the most senior employee on payroll. What was left of management decided to promote me, along with someone else. Speaking of,” Nigel said, handing him his own I.D. badge, “let me be the first to congratulate you, Foreman Latras.”

Milo stopped moving, his eyes glazed over. He looked like he’d frozen, but his mind had gone into overdrive. Sure, he knew what to do in his new role, but he’d only been here for four years, and there were older employees that would have loved to take his job.

“Nigel, I-”

The ferret interrupted him.

“Everyone’s in agreement, aren’t we fellas?”

There was a chorus of general agreement from the assorted mammals. Milo shook his head, clearing his thoughts. He’d never had career aspirations as direct as taking his boss’s old job, but here he was. He’d have to reconsider his career plan.

“Alright, let’s quit basking in my glory and get back to work before something happens and I get fired again.”

The control staff laughed, and everyone went back to their desks and consoles.

“If you need me, I’ll be in my fancy new director’s office.” Nigel said, shooting him a wink. 

There was no doubt in his mind, things were looking up for Milo Latras.

Consequently, it was Rosa’s first day of classes at Zootopia Law School. Her preparations with her boyfriend had been helpful, and she was unusually confident. The university campus was relatively small, compared to the nearby South Tundratown City College, but there were still at least two thousand prospective law students enrolled.

Her ‘introduction to law’ course was being held in the freshman building, in the center of the school grounds. As she entered the building, she glanced at her pupils. She was probably the oldest among the freshman class, but it was fine with her. A large amount of people went to school in their later years, due to various circumstances in their lives, but she was still slightly nervous. Her fears dissipated, however, when nobody gave her a second glance, instead preferring to look towards the front of the lecture hall, where a professor was preparing the day’s lesson. Sitting down at a front-row desk, she prepared for the semester.

Two hours later, and her first-day energy had worn off slightly. The professor was almost a perfect match for the stereotypical old college teacher, and while his voice wasn’t grating like some teachers she’d had in the past, it was almost enough to put her to sleep. It had, however, been able to put some of her more vulnerable classmates in a coma. She looked to her left, and the red panda she’d sat next to was conked out, drooling on her half-complete notes. Despite this, Rosa knew that she would endure it. It would be a grueling year, but she hadn’t enrolled for an easy time. She’d enrolled to help people, and she would have to make it through the year to do so.

Milo looked at his desk clock. Five-thirty PM, the end of the shift. He had been assigned to the day crew, a blessing when he considered Rosa’s school dismissed at four o’clock, and he wanted to be able to spend as much time as he could with her. 

“Alright people, shift’s up. Let’s get outta here.”

It felt good to announce, and he knew what his high school teachers felt like releasing the class now. With a groan as his spine straightened for the first time in a few hours, he stood up and headed to the lockers. Changing in the privacy of his stall, he put his clothes back on and strode out of the building.

Back at home, Rosa was waking up from an hour long power nap, the day had taken a lot out of her. Despite her fatigue, she felt mostly good about the first day, and, if it was going to serve as a model for the next two years, she would have no problem obtaining her degree. She looked up as the apartment door opened, and Milo stepped in, looking unusually chipper.

“What’s up?” Rosa said. Now that she no longer had to engage in ‘high class shit’, as Milo had taken to calling it, she felt that she’d have to stop talking like a turn-of-the-century poet. Her boyfriend was very helpful, and he even encouraged it, thinking it was hilarious and endearing at the same time.

“Hey, how’d the first day go?”

“You first.”

“Well, Nigel’s been promoted to plant director.”

“That’s great, he deserves a nice occupation in his old age.”

“That’s not all, guess who’s the new day shift foreman.”

“I suppose I wouldn’t be wrong in assuming it was you?” Rosa said with a grin.

“You betcha! If you’re up for it, a few staff at the plant decided to meet up at a bar tonight to celebrate, and you’re totally invited.”

Rosa was never a drinker, but she felt that she needed a cold one.

“Count me in, that sounds wonderful.”

It was decided, and the pair showed up at Henry’s Bar at around eight. Nigel was already there, and he was unsurprisingly already buzzed. There were a few plant workers, and all were in various early drinking stages.

“Heeeeey! Milo!” Nigel said.

“Hey there, old man. You enjoying being back here?”

“You bet your ass I am.” Nigel said. “Hey, Henry! Pass me another!”

The barkeep and owner, a camel, filled a glass with whiskey and put it in front of him. After he did, he turned to the new pair of mammals sitting at the bar. 

“What’ll you two be having?”

“I’ll have whatever he is.” Milo said, gesturing to the ferret, who was downing his third miniscule glass of liquor.

“I’ll just have a pina colada, please.”

“You got it, one Jackrabbit Danielle’s and a pina colada, coming up.”

The drinking continued well into the night, and Milo decided to cut it off at around twelve. Rosa still had school tomorrow, and he didn’t want her to have too much of a hangover. 

“Alright.” He said to his lightweight girlfriend. She had obviously never gone to a bar before, and she’d moved on from coladas to shots of bourbon. “It’s time to go.”

“Buuut I wanna ‘nother drink.” Rosa slurred out. “Henryyyyyy, gimme another.”

The camel behind the bar shook his head.

“Sorry miss, I can’t. You look too smashed to have anything else for a week.”

“Uuuuugh. Milo, tellim to get me another one.”

“No can do, you have class tomorrow.”

Milo took her arm and tried to pull her up, out of her seat. She half-heartedly complied. He looked over to Nigel, who was on his sixth or seventh whiskey. The man could drink.

“Take ya girl home, I’ll be alright.”

Milo nodded and helped Rosa out of the door, having to act as a support for the larger mammal. He pulled out his phone with his free hand, dialing a taxi company.

“North Zootopian Taxi, how can I help you?” The voice on the end of the line asked.

“I need a cab at, uuuh, 357 West 15th street, please.”

“Henry’s Bar? I have a guy around there. Hang on for a few minutes.”

“Thanks.”

Five minutes later, and an old taxi pulled around the street corner. Milo flagged the driver, a red wolf, down.

“Did you phone for a cab?” The driver asked.

“Yep.” Milo responded, opening the door for his inebriated girlfriend. The cabbie looked at her for a few seconds, before exclaiming “Rosa!”

The deer looked up at the wolf who had addressed her, and Milo could see recognition in her eyes.

“Walt? Issat you?”

Walt grinned.

“The one and only.”

Milo was confused. Did the two know each other?

“Damn, you look drunk. I guess that’s why you need a ride, huh?”

“Yes.” Milo said, getting the backseat next to Rosa. “We need to go to 262 Drift street.”

“You’re the boss.” Walt said, peeling out of the parking lot.

“So, why, may I ask, is Rosa shitfaced?” Walt said. By this point, Rosa was at the stage of drunkenness where one starts falling asleep, so she didn’t have the brainpower to comprehend the conversation her friend and boyfriend were having.

“Do you know her?”

“Yep, we met after her dad kicked her out of her house. She called a taxi, and I showed up.”

“Huh, small world. Some friends of mine invited us out. I don’t think she’s ever been drinking, so she hasn’t learned about moderation yet.”

“I can see that.” Walt said, glancing in his rear-view mirror at the now slumbering deer. How do you two know each other?”

“I'm her boyfriend. We live together.”

“Well, whaddya know. I didn’t take Rosa for the dating type.”

“It’s a long story.”

“We’ve got about ten minutes before we get where we’re going, why don’t you tell me?”

Milo related the pair’s experiences as best he could, given the time frame. By the time he had finished, he had started recognizing the buildings passing by the windows.

“Whoa, you two really have been through hell and back, huh?”

“That’d be an apt phrase, yeah.”

“You seem like a good fella to be dating Rosa. Keep her safe, okay?”

“You know I will.”

Milo glanced at the limp mass of deer on the seat next to him.

“I, uh, might need some help getting her up to bed.”

Walt rubbed the back of his neck.

“I’m technically not allowed to leave the car, but you look like a nice enough guy.”

They each grabbed Rosa’s arms and legs respectively, and started carrying the unconscious cervine to the third floor. There was no elevator in the old building, so it was a good three minutes before the pair had reached room 303. Milo took his keys out of his pocket with his left paw and unlocked the room.

The pair managed to bring Rosa to the bedroom and put her to bed.

“Well, I’d better get back to the cab. It was nice meeting you, Milo.”

“You too Walt.”

The red wolf walked out of the door. Milo and Rosa had started sharing his room, turning her old room into a sort of office. Milo got under the covers of their shared bed, and went to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bit of a long one today. I've starting posting updates to @Latras5 on twitter, so if you like the story enough to want updates, follow me there.


	17. Trapped

Chapter XVII, Trapped

Rosa woke up with the mother-of-all headaches. She groggily tried to get out of bed, but lost her balance and almost fell down, only being saved by grabbing the windowsill. She groaned and realized she was still in her wrinkled clothes from the previous night.

“I really overdid it, didn’t I.” She thought to herself, sluggishly walking down the hallway to the kitchen when a delicious smell hit her nose. She walked a bit faster and ended up in the kitchenette, where Milo was making what appeared to be soup. He looked a bit worse-for-wear, but he’d obviously fared better, being the more experienced drinker.

“G’dmornin my deer.” Milo said. No matter how many times he made that joke, it didn’t get any less amusing.

“Morning, Milo. What are you making? It smells delicious.”

“Solyanka. It's a northern soup with onion, pickles, and potatoes. Nigel swears it can cure just about anything except cancer and missing limbs. I knew you’d wake up with a hangover from how drunk you were last night.”

“Thank you. Frankly, I feel like shit. What time did I pass out? I only remember stumbling outside the bar. I didn’t do anything embarrassing, did I?”

“You didn’t do anything that anyone doesn’t do on their first binge. I called a taxi and your friend Walter picked us up and took us home.”

Rosa’s ears perked up.

“Walt? Did you talk to him?”

“He asked how I knew you, and I told him what’d happened over the past month or two.”

“Well, I’m glad you two got the chance to meet, at least.” She said, slumping into a chair.

Two minutes later, Milo was ladling the soup he’d made into some bowls. Bringing them over to the table, he set one down in front of Rosa. It wasn’t fancy, by any means, but it was better than any meal that she’d had at the Deerborn Manor. She could feel her hangover dimming somewhat.

“Thanks again.”

“No problem, maybe you won’t drink so much next time, eh?”

“I believe I’ve learned my lesson, yes.”

Milo smiled.

“I have to go to work, see you this afternoon.”

“See you.”

Rosa sat and tried to fight her headache for a few minutes more, and then she started walking to the nearest bus stop, ready for another day.

Two months later, and life had been going well for the couple. Milo had settled into his new job, and Rosa had been getting into the routine of college. Just because she had a routine, however, didn’t mean that she had it easy. She spent at least three hours a day in the apartment’s study room, poring over different textbooks and class notes. Law wasn’t as simple as she thought it would be. There were thousands of different ordinances and bylaws for each separate district, and the city as a whole had a complicated legal system. Foreign law was simpler, but there were still many nations on Animalia with conflicting rules and regulations. Fortunately for Rosa, Milo was there every step of the way, helping her. It was early October, and the already frigid weather was getting colder.

Milo was on a grocery run. They had agreed that while Rosa was studying, he’d take care of simple things around the house, like cooking and shopping. It was the least he could do, and he didn’t want anything to interfere with his girlfriend’s education. He had heard that she was doing well, which was great. He knew a few people that had dropped out of the same university due to failing grades.

He walked through the aisles and picked out various groceries. Lettuce? Check. Salmon? Check. Bread? Check. He suddenly stopped when his phone buzzed several times, in a pattern. He took it out of his pocket, turned it on, and he was greeted with notification from the Tundratown Weather Authority.

“Attention all residents of Tundratown, there has been a malfunction in the weather control systems, resulting in below average temperatures and heavy snowfall. Expect one to two meters of snow in the following week, concentrated in the east. We apologize for the inconvenience.”

“You’ve gotta be shitting me.” Milo said. Two meters might be fine for some of the larger residents of the district, like elk and polar bears, but it would make it almost impossible for him to get anywhere. He was about one-and-a-half meters tall, which was above average for a coyote, but it wouldn’t do much good against a wall of frozen water. He sighed, and went back through the store to get more food. He assumed it would be a good few days before he could get back out of the apartment.

Driving back, he noticed an increased amount of cars heading towards the residential areas of the district. 

“Guess everyone has the same idea as me.” He thought.

When he arrived at the apartment, Rosa was sitting on the couch, glancing towards the door. As soon as he opened it, she got up to help bring in the groceries.

“Did you get the news?”

“About the snow? Yeah, looks like I’m going to be stuck for a while.”

“I might be as well. People are saying that the buses and trams are already being shut down. At least it's friday. I can’t imagine having to do all of my classwork on a laptop.”

“Yeah, that would suck. So, what are we gonna do for the next few days?”

Rosa had no idea, and she told him as much.

“I have no idea. We’re probably just going to sit on the couch and watch TV, which I wouldn’t mind.”

Milo thought about that. It certainly would be relaxing. Just sitting around in his girlfriend’s arms, not a care in the world.

“Yeah, that would be nice.”

“I’ll bring some blankets out of our room. Looks like we’re going to have some snow days.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for the short chapter, school was a bit tedious today. Be prepared for part two on monday. I'm very active on twitter (@Latras5), so if you want updates, or just want to chat, follow me there.


	18. Trapped, Pt. 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You know how I said I'd post part 2 on Monday? I lied.

Chapter XVIII, Trapped Pt. 2

“Hey, Rosa! Come in here and check this out!” Milo said. It was the day after he’d received the news that he would be trapped for the weekend. Things were boring, but neither he nor Rosa was in immediate danger of starving/freezing/going insane, so it was going pretty well. Milo had spent the morning flipping through TV channels, and had stopped a minute ago when he came across a courtroom scene on ZNN. Apparently, the trials of the several hundred conspirators had begun a few days before.

“What is it?” Rosa said, poking her head through the hall doorway.

“Oh, interesting.”

They sat and watched the trials. It felt good to know that the mammals who tried to take Zootopia down were coming to justice. The judge, a Bengal tiger, obviously had no trouble dishing out harsh terms, and most mammals involved got at least ten years, and some up to fifty. Then, something unexpected. Rosa gasped when she recognized the next mammal to enter the courtroom.

“Arthur Winston Montgomery Deerborn, you are accused of conspiracy, crimes against society, corporate fraud, violating articles thirteen, fifty-seven, and eighty-five of the Zootopian constitution, and multiple hate crimes. How do you plead?”

“Not guilty.”

Rosa was shocked. Not only at the lethal array of charges arrayed against her father, but by his plea. He was so ingrained in his bigotry and greed that he couldn’t bring himself to say ‘Not guilty.’, even when the odds were very clearly against him. He had also elected to represent himself in the trial. Rosa was a law student, but it didn’t take any sort of education to know Arthur Deerborn was royally screwed.

“Is-is that your, uh, dad?” Milo asked, tentatively. After all, he didn’t know what she felt about the whole ‘criminal father’ thing.

“It is. Let’s see what he has to say for himself.” Rosa said, leaning forward towards the TV.

“Very well.” The judge said. “Will the prosecution please call its first witness?”

The city lawyer nodded, and, to Rosa’s surprise, the Lynx cook that had been fired when the crisis started stood up. Over the course of five minutes, the cat had accused Arthur of unfair termination of his employment and possession of illegal items, namely the stockpile of prototype collars that had been in the mansion’s basement. After the cook had stood down, it was Arthur’s turn to speak.

“Your honor, I am not guilty of the charges thrust upon me by the city and my former employee. I had it within my right as this mammal’s employer to terminate his contract if I felt that he had become a danger to his workplace.”

The tiger scowled.

“And how, may I ask, would you prove that he was dangerous to his fellow employees, and his employers?”

“Your, ugh, honor. When he was fired, I believed that having a predator in my household would be dangerous to my family.”

The judge ignored the deer’s spite towards him, and pressed on with the questioning.

“Why would that be, Mr. Deerborn?”

“I was under the impression that any of you could go savage at any second! Many innocent prey mammals had already been killed by bloodthirsty attacks already, and I wasn’t going to keep a walking time bomb in my home, especially as my chef! He could’ve been slipping meat into my food, for god’s sake!”

The judge was getting madder.

“The evidence suggests that you were in correspondence with one of Dawn Bellwether’s cohorts during this time. Furthermore, said cohort has confessed to telling you the details of the night howler conspiracy. You knew exactly what was happening, Mr. Deerborn. This was an act of speciesism, nothing more, nothing less.”

Arthur frowned. The rest of the trial proceeded in a similar fashion, witnesses presenting evidence, Arthur attempting to argue his innocence, and the judge shutting him down. After all was said and done, the trial had taken an hour and a half, with Rosa and Milo never once taking their eyes off the screen.

“The jury finds the defendant, guilty!” The judge declared, giving Arthur a semi-concealed smirk. The final sentence was a life imprisonment at Outback Island, one of the worst fates one could expect from a Zootopian Court. Arthur looked stunned, then angry. As the bailiff tried to approach him, he shoved the aardvark away. At this, a wolf officer, previously standing behind him, lunged forward and tried to pin his arms to his back.

“Get you claws off of me, filthy mutt!” Arthur said, attempting to kick the wolf away. The canine officer pulled out a baton, and gave the deer a thwack to the head, knocking him out instantly. Arthur was dragged off by more officers, and the day’s trials ended.

“Woah.” Said Milo. “He really is a grade-a asshole, isn't he?”

“Yes.” Rosa replied, seething. Her father’s actions had finally caught up with him, and he was going to spend the last twenty or so years of his life in Zootopia’s most infamous prison. “He got nothing less than what he deserved.”

“Well, that was certainly something. What do you wanna do n-” Milo said. He was cut off by the TV, the lights, and the heating all cutting out.

“Fuck.”

“Did the power just?”

“Go out? Yeah, I think it did.”

“Do you think that it's going to be a problem?”

“Maybe. The city usually has this sort of stuff fixed within two or three hours, but they might be kinda swamped with the whole ‘weather malfunction’ business.”

“I’ve never been in a power outage before.”

Milo raised an eyebrow.

“What?”

“I’ve never been in a power outage before. The family home had multiple generators to deal with that sort of thing. Is there anything that I need to know?”

Milo smiled.

“First, don’t open the fridge. It might matter less in Tundratown, when it's usually below freezing, but in other parts of the city it's a good way to ruin all of your food. Second, don’t try and call any officials. It’ll just waste phone battery, and everyone else on the block has probably done it already. Third, and this is exclusive to Tundratown, find the local coyote and make sure to get as close as you can to him, for maximum warmth.”

“Well, it seems step three is pretty easy. I just so happen to have one right here.” Rosa said, drawing herself around the smaller mammal. She could feel Milo’s tail trying to wag under her embrace.

The outage continued for a good few hours, but by the time it was over, Milo and Rosa were fast asleep on the couch.


	19. Plan

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope this chapter alleviates the Monday blues somewhat, despite it not being the longest. As always, follow @Latras5 on twitter for updates, and have an excellent day.

Chapter XIX, Plan

The heavy snow had ended one and a half days after Arthur’s trial. Snowplows had driven through the streets, and city workers took to the sidewalks with shovels, often assisted by residents of the district. All in all, the snow was cleared in a matter of days. It put Milo in a good mood, and he wanted to do something to help relieve some of the stress that Rosa had been having. Her first semester was coming to a close in a few weeks, and he had a perfect idea for the two week break that she would have in mid November. Sitting at his desk, he started looking for what he wanted. He’d taken the day off so that he could have all the time he needed.

Three days later, he’d found it. Taking the train to Savannah Central was a chore, but it’d be worth it. It wasn’t like he’d be taking it back, after all. He met up with the seller, and they haggled over the price for what must’ve amounted to ten minutes. It wasn’t in the best shape, after all, and they finally agreed on a deal. Nine thousand Zbucks. Since his new job had come with a few thousand dollar’s raise, Milo wasn’t concerned with the price all that much. He paid the seller, and started back towards home. 

He’d made it back within the hour, and he discreetly hid his purchase. It would blend in until he decided to show Rosa. Speaking of which, she was due to be home from school any minute now.

The door creaked, and the doe in question walked inside.

“Hey, Rosa.”

“Milo? Did you not go to work today?”

“Nah, I had to do something more important. Come outside, I’ve gotta show you something.”

Rosa, her interest piqued, followed the smaller canid back outside the door. On the way down, he addressed her.

“You have a two week break coming up, right?”

“Yes, I do.” Rosa said, wondering where he was going with this.

“Well, “ he said, opening the door to the parking lot. “I’ve got a plan for how we can spend it.”

He opened the door with a comically overexaggerated flourish, and Rosa was pleasantly surprised. In the lot, next to Milo’s regular parking space, sat an old pickup camper. It looked to be sized for medium mammals, so it would be perfect for a tall coyote and a short deer.

“Is that, a camper?”

“You bet your ass it is! Just picked it up from an old guy in Savannah Central. The thing only has about thirty thousand kilometers on it, so it's almost brand new, given its age. I figured we could take it up to the Hurtgen Forest for a week and just relax.”

Rosa had never been camping for so long of a period. Every time her family had been on a trip, it was in luxury. Hotels, villas, yachts, she had never been actually amongst the people of whichever country she visited. She was excited to go and actually be out in the woods.

“That sounds excellent, Milo. I’ve never been camping before.”

“Well, I wouldn’t exactly call this camping, but it is a trip into the woods. I used to go up there all the time when…” Milo trailed off. “Well, it’ll be fun. I was thinking about leaving tomorrow morning, but we can wait if you need to.”

Rosa wanted to ask her coyote about why he had suddenly stopped talking, but she decided that it could wait. He obviously wasn’t ready to talk about whatever it was, and he seemed to be in a good mood.

“I think tomorrow morning is fine. I’m looking forward to it!”

Milo grinned and wagged his tail.

“I’m glad, we’ll be out of here by ten tomorrow.”

The pair walked back inside and headed up to bed.

Milo rose at eight the next morning. Glancing to his left, he saw that his girlfriend was still asleep. He slowly extracted himself from the sheets, as not to wake her. Walking to the kitchen, he thought about what he had said yesterday afternoon.

“I need to tell her sometime. We’re a couple, and couples don’t keep secrets.” He whispered to himself.

Rosa was awoken by the familiar and welcome smell of coffee. She assumed Milo had gotten up before her and brewed a pot. She looked at her nightstand clock. Nine o’clock. They had two hours before they were scheduled to hit the road. She got up and stretched, feeling her bones pop. She followed the scent of coffee to the living area.

“Do I smell coffee?”

“Yep, I thought we could both use some before the trip. The forest’s about four hundred kilometers away.”

“Four hundred? I thought that it began in north Tundratown.”

“Technically, yes, but the touristy parts don’t end for a while after the border, and I want us to get the whole camping experience.”

“Oh, okay.”

They drank in silence, each thinking about the day’s drive ahead of them. Rosa was concerned that the old truck that Milo had bought would’n make the trip.

“So, the camper that you bought. Do you think it’ll make it the way there and back?”

“Oh, of course. I checked the engine and everything, it's in prime condition. Even if it breaks down, pretty much every mechanic stocks parts for old Furds. We’ll be fine.”

“If you say so.” Rosa was still worried.

“Oh relax, “ Milo said, “this is gonna be fun.”

They packed for the trip. Milo expected to be in the woods for a few days, so they each packed three or four changes. They could’ve taken just about anything, as the camper was roomy for a pickup, but they stuck with just bare essentials. The camper had no built-in shower, so they’d be bathing in local bodies of water, and they’d have to pack a few day’s worth of food as well, as stores were few and far between that far north. All in all, the living area of the truck was half-filled with camping supplies. They were ready to begin a week-long adventure.

Milo turned the key in the ignition. The engine turned over once, then twice, then three times, finally spluttering and catching with a steady purr.

“Let’s go.”

He pulled out of the lot, and drove towards the nearest highway on-ramp.


	20. Adventure, Pt. 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really enjoyed writing this one, which is why I decided to do a double upload today. I hope you enjoy the beginning of this new plot arc.

Chapter XX, Adventure, Pt. 1

Driving on the inter-district highway was slow-going. The truck could get up to around one hundred and thirty kilometers per hour under ideal conditions, but they were heading towards the massive northern range, a mountain range that bordered the wilderness to the north of Tundratown. Things were starting to get hilly long before they could even see the forest. They had crossed the border after an hour of driving through the city, and things were getting progressively hillier. 

Then, they went under the enormous climate control wall. This area of Tundratown was geographically further north and colder than the rest of the city, but the climate system was still needed sometimes. They noticed the difference almost immediately. The temperature moved from below freezing to around thirteen degrees, making the pair take their heavy coats and hats off, and Milo rolled down the windows. Vast and dense groves of pine trees started appearing at more frequent intervals, and soon they were in the forest proper. 

The tourist sites, stereotypical log cabin camps and mountain resorts started to trickle away at the three-hundred kilometer mark, and they were replaced by small logging and mining hamlets, most having a few hundred mammals at best in them. They were now in the Hurtgen Forest proper, and Milo pulled over when he saw a sign on the side of the road. Turning to his sleeping girlfriend in the passenger seat, he shook her awake.

“We’re here.” He said, pointing to the sign. “Jack Holt Memorial State Park. Twenty thousand acres of untouched woods, right at the intersection of emptiness and nowhere.”

“Woah.” Rosa said, glancing around. The forest seemed to be infinite, and every direction she looked it continued into the horizon. “Milo, this is amazing! I’ve never been this far north!”

“You’re welcome.” Milo said. “Let’s check in with the rangers.”

He started the truck back up and pulled into the visitor center. The building was old, probably from the 1950s when the park was built, but it was well-maintained. Milo couldn’t see any broken or missing parts to the visitors center, the ranger station, or the garage. He parked in front of the center and got out.

“Stay here, I’ll check us in.”

Milo walked to the door, which opened with a soft tinkling. Someone had attached a bell to the inside of the door, and Milo soon found out who had.

“Hello there!” An old bison cow said from behind the counter in the center’s meagre shop.

“Afternoon, ma’am. I was looking to check me and another into the park for the week.”

“You’ll want to talk to my husband, then.” The old woman said. 

“ROY!” She yelled.

“WHAT?” A voice responded from the back of the shop.

“WE GOTTA TOURIST!”

A bison came out from the back rooms of the shop. Milo assumed it was the fabled ‘Roy’.

“Well, color me surprised! We usually only get visitors in the summer months, when it’s nice and warm. Most mammals can’t stand it up here.”

“Not me, I like the cold. I’m here to check myself and another in.”

“Another?”

“Yes, my girlfriend. She’s in the truck outside.”

Roy glanced outside the window.

“A deer?”

Milo started to get worried. What if they didn’t let him in because of his pred-prey relationship? What if they decided to hurt him, or much worse, Rosa? His agitation must’ve been detected by the bison cow, because she gave him a reassuring smile that only old people can give you.

“That’s wonderful, sweetheart. Not many mammals are brave enough to have that kind of relationship these days. We think that it's a good thing to express your love, right Roy?”

“Yer damn right. Get her in here and I’ll get you both checked in.

Milo opened the door and gestured to Rosa, who stepped out of the camper and walked inside the shop. Roy got out a dusty looking piece of paper and put it on a desk.

“Yer names?”

“Milo Latras.”

“Rosa Deerborn.”

“How long are you staying?”

“Seven or eight days, we haven't decided.”

“What do you plan on doing here?”

“Just camping, hiking, basic park stuff.”

Roy clicked his pen shut.

“That’s it, welcome to the Jack Holt Memorial State Park.”

Rosa asked a question that had been on her mind ever since she’d seen the park’s road sign.

“Who’s Jack Holt?”

Roy grinned.

“My granddaddy, he was heavily involved in the state park system, and, when he died back in 55’, the department decided to name a park after him.”

“Oh, okay. Well, I see that his legacy seems to be in good hooves, Mr. Holt.” Rosa said.

“Please, call me Roy, and my lovely wife over there is Grace.”

Grace waved at Rosa, who waved back.

“Some advice for you youngn’s, the best spots to camp out are on a ridge just four or five miles east of here. It’ll give you a good view of the rest of the park, and the mountains make for a good backdrop.”

“Thanks Roy, we’ll head up there now. It was nice meeting you both.”

“Nice meeting y’all too!” Grace chimed in from the background.

The duo exited the visitor’s center and piled back in their camper for the ten minute drive to the ridge that Roy had mentioned. The truck groaned and sputtered up some of the larger hills, but it was worth it.

“He really wasn’t lying, huh?” Milo said, nearly breathless. They had parked several dozen meters from the far side of the ridge, and they commanded the best view in the park. They could see for miles, even through the slight cloud cover, and it was an almost stereotypical scene of a boreal wonderland. They could see clearings, streams, hills, and even a small river snaking its way through the protected land.

“It’s beautiful.” Rosa was about as speechless as Milo. She had never been out in nature like this, and she knew what she’d been missing out on. “Thank you, Milo.”

Milo shook himself out of his stupor.

“It’s the least I could do. C’mon, let’s get everything set up.”

They had brought a folding table, two lawn chairs, a large tarp, and a camp stove, so they had a little home-away-from-home within the hour. Milo took out some food and started cooking dinner for their first night in the woods. 

Sitting in their chairs with homemade camp food, the pair felt completely disconnected from the sometimes chaotic life in Zootopia. When they finished, they looked at the stars that were visible without the city’s light pollution. They had tired themselves out by ten, and went into their camper, being able to quickly fall asleep without any of the city noise.


	21. Adventure, Pt. 2

Chapter XXI, Adventure Pt. 2

Rosa was woken up early in the morning by birdsong, with Milo short behind her.

“Mornin’” He said.

“Good morning.” She said, leaning over to kiss him. After the gesture, she climbed down from the loft bed and went outside. The view was just as good as last evening, and she had to stop for a moment to take it all in. She took a deep breath, inhaling the scents of the woods. Pine, earth, the breakfast that Milo was cooking, blood, water.

“What.” She said out loud. Deer noses weren't the best in the animal kingdom, but she could’ve sworn she had detected the twang of blood. She sniffed again, but the coppery scent was gone.

“Weird.”

She went back inside after a few minutes to a waiting Milo, standing over a plate of pancakes. They took their food outside and ate it in the great outdoors.

“So, what are we going to do today?”

“I dunno. I was thinking that maybe we could go hiking along the river down there.” Milo said, gesturing to the winding waterway below them.

“That sounds nice.” Rosa said, looking out over the landscape. “Are there any trails?”

“No, but the brush is thin enough for us to make our own. It’ll be slow going, but we really don’t have anywhere to be.”

They washed up their dishes with the onboard water supply they had brought, and packed up two backpacks with a day’s worth of supplies. The weather was pristine, no clouds in sight, and they started on their hike.

The forest was quiet, and the only sound they could hear was each other’s breathing and footfalls, and the occasional woodpecker’s knocking, or a splash as they sacred a frog into the river. It was strange and new, but in a way Rosa liked. She usually had to listen to the sound of cars and late-night partiers all night back at home, and it was nice to just walk and listen to nothing for a change. Milo didn’t feel the same way. He had never remembered it being this quiet, and he usually liked at least some noise to reassure him that he was safe. He didn’t have any reason to believe that he wasn’t safe, but the feeling persisted. He tried to push it down. Soon, they had come to a riverside clearing and decided to have a short break. 

Rosa checked her phone. No signal, of course. Not that she needed it, Milo had brought a satellite phone and a map and compass, so they were alright for emergencies.

“It’s so peaceful out here.” Rosa said, glancing up through the trees. She could see birds flitting through the branches, heading south, and the noise had picked up slightly. It was migration season.

“It’s always been like this, ever since I was a kid…” Milo said, then looked away from Rosa.

“Since you were a kid?”

Milo sighed. This conversation was a long time coming, and he felt like this was a good time to tell her about his parents.

“Yes, my uncle took me out here a few times.”

“Your uncle? What about your parents?”

Here it came.

“My father’s dead. My mother could be for all I care. Fuck her.”

“What? Why?”

Milo was now fully committed to the conversation.

“She left my dad when I was two. He tried to raise me on his own, but he couldn’t handle it, and he turned me over to my aunt and uncle, and killed himself when I was six. Uncle Rob took me in and raised me until I left for college at eighteen. We parted ways after that, and as far as I know, he’s a truck driver now.”

Rosa was confused. Why hadn’t he told her before this? This was a fairly big secret to keep, and it obviously took a toll on Milo to talk about it, as the Coyote slumped on the rock he was sitting on, putting his arm on the stone to support himself. Rosa got up off her rock and sat down next to the Coyote, wrapping him up in her arms.

Milo repressed the urge to sob, and continued.

“Rob used to take me up here, he said it was dad’s favorite place to camp. He’d tell me stories about when they grew up, and he’d tell me how proud dad would be of me. The only way I was able to go to college was the money he left me. In a way, he helped me succeed from well beyond death.”

Rosa was beginning to feel grief herself. Milo’s father sounded like he had really cared for him, and Milo had obviously cared about him.

“Milo, I’m so sorry.”

They stayed like that for a few more minutes, before Milo spoke up again.

“Well, anyways, that’s how I knew how to get here.” He sighed. “It was good to get all of that off my chest, I’m glad I told you.”

“I’m glad you told me too. Shall we continue?”

“Yeah, let’s go.”

They got back up and started walking again. They started to head inland from the river, deeper into the forest. They started having to walk through heavy underbrush and fallen logs well into the afternoon, but they were having a good time despite this. Then, Milo suddenly held up his fist, the universal gesture for ‘stop’. Rosa stopped, and gave him a puzzled look. She was about to speak when she heard it too. A branch snapped at least one hundred meters from them. Normally, it’d be too quiet to hear, but since they had stopped walking it was dead silent. Whatever had made the noise realized that it was the only thing moving, and it stopped too.

“Hello? Rosa shouted. It may have been another mammal, however unlikely. There was no response.

“I think it's about time we headed back.” Milo whispered. The duo turned and started making their way back through the brush, as quietly as they could. They’d made it back to the clearing within an hour and a half, and were greeted with an inexplicable sight. The rock that they had sat on had three long gouges taken out of it, like someone or something with tiger-sized claws had dragged them along the rock and made three perfect grooves.

“No fucking way.” Milo said. He now knew why the silence bothered him, it was the silence that came about when smaller animals realized that there was something big and dangerous around. Then, he smelt it. Blood. It was a faint odor, but he would never again forget that smell after the events of the crisis.

“Do you smell that?” Rosa said. Milo nodded. “I smelt it this morning. It was gone before I could do anything about it.”

“What in the fuck is going on?” Milo shout/whispered.

They moved on from the clearing and its grotesque boulder. When they were at the foot of the hill that they’d parked on, it was early evening, and the sun was almost touching the horizon. The pair had started to relax, but they heard it again. A branch snapped loudly behind them, then another. Whatever was following, no, stalking them wasn’t attempting to hide anymore. The pair froze in place, their eyes focusing on a dense patch of ferns. They rustled.

“Run.” Milo said, calmly, and they did. As they sprinted up the hill, the branches behind them cracked and crunched as the thing behind them kept pace. They were halfway up the hill by five minutes, and they had reached the camper in ten. They didn’t go inside, however, and they waited outside the door for any warnings that the thing was still behind them. They didn’t hear anything for a good minute.

“D’ya think we lost it?” Milo said. No sooner than he had finished speaking, some leaves to their right rustled. They snapped their heads around, but the sound was moving. They listened to the sound circle their camp for a while, and then, with horror, they realized it was coming into the clearing. They looked towards where the sound was coming from, and they saw it step into the clearing.

“AHAHAHAHA! Y’all should’ve seen yourselves run!”

Milo was stunned. A mountain lion in a ranger uniform had walked out of the woods, and was laughing at them.

“Oh man, I ain’t got anyone that good since that squirrel family a few seasons ago!” The ranger said. Then, noticing Milo’s eyebrows angling toward his nose, he held his hands up and tried to placate the fury growing inside the coyote.

“Heyyyy there, no hard feelings buddy?”

Milo stopped, and his rational side had a rare appearance. The cougar’s antics sounded like something he’d find funny done to someone else, and he didn’t have the right to criticize.

“Well, you got us man. I’ll tell ya, that was the most spooked I’ve ever been out in the woods, and there’s still daylight.”

The cat relaxed his grin. “Sorry for makin’ y’all run like that.” He said, sheepishly.

“I’m sure it’ll be funnier when the burning stops. Hey Rosa, it's just a guy!”

Rosa came out of her previous hiding spot in the truck and poked her head through the door. Seeing the ranger there, she put two and two together. She smiled and came out.

“Sorry again. Say, i’ve got cold beer if y’all want some.”

“Fuck yeah, that sounds real good right about now.”


	22. Everyone so Far

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is going to be a special chapter, as it includes a small description of all the charachters in the story (so far). Enjoy the double/double upload!

Everyone so Far

Milo Latras  
Age: 25  
Species: Northern Coyote (Canis Latrans)  
Occupation: Nuclear plant foreman  
Bio: Milo is a coyote atomic engineer, he likes sci-fi, old cars, and seafood.

Rosa Deerborn  
Age: 24  
Species: Sika Deer (Cervus Nippon)  
Occupation: Law student  
Bio: Rosa is a deer law student, who is studying to become a lawyer. She lives with her boyfriend in Tundratown.

Nigel Kensington  
Age: 55  
Species: Ferret (Mustela Putorius Furo)  
Occupation: Nuclear plant manager  
Bio: Nigel is an old ferret with a drinking problem. He manages the Central Tundratown Nuclear Power Plant (TCNPP)

Walt Walther  
Age: 39  
Species: Red Wolf (Canis Lupus Rufus)  
Occupation: Cabbie  
Bio: Walter Walther is a Zootopian cab driver who frequents East Tundratown.

Arthur Deerborn  
Age: 57  
Species: Sika Deer (Cervus Nippon)  
Occupation: Prisoner, formerly CEO of Deerborn Conglomerate  
Bio: Arthur Deerborn was the CEO of a large corporation before his arrest and trial.

Laurel Deerborn  
Age: 54  
Species: Sika Deer (Cervus Nippon)  
Occupation: New CEO of the Deerborn Conglomerate  
Bio: Designated as Arthur’s successor in his absence, Laurel is working to dismantle the company.

Bert Warton  
Age: 28  
Species: Boar (Sus Scrofa)  
Occupation: Formerly night foreman  
Bio: Bert Warton used to be the night foreman at the TCNPP before he was arrested for links to the savage consipracy.

Raminus Wooling  
Age: 63  
Species: Sheep (Ovis Aries)  
Occupation: Formerly plant manager  
Bio: Raminus Wooling used to be the plant manager at the TCNPP before he was arrested for direct links to Dawn Bellwether and Doug Ramses.

Wright Gaza  
Age: 22  
Species: Springbok Antelope (Antidorcas Marsupialis)  
Occupation: Police Officer  
Bio: Wright is a rookie police officer at the Tundratown precinct.

Dr. Herb Abernathy  
Age: 61  
Species: Brown Rat (Rattus Norvegicus)  
Occupation: Surgeon  
Bio: Dr. Abernathy is a trauma surgeon at a Tundratown hospital.

Jesse, Bob, Jasper, and Sal  
Age: Varies, 26-36  
Species: Deer, Sheep, Ibex, Jackrabbit  
Occupation: Multiple high-end and low-effort jobs  
Bio: Jesse and his gang are a group of rich prey mammals that beat and nearly killed Milo.

Judge Tiberius Stripemann  
Age: 50  
Species: Bengal Tiger (Panthera Tigris Tigris)  
Occupation: Judge  
Bio: Judge Stripemann is an experienced judge employed by the city.

Roy Holt  
Age: 65  
Species: Bison (B. Bison)  
Occupation: Park Ranger  
Bio: Roy Holt is an aging Bison park ranger that lives on the Jack Holt Memorial State Park

Grace Holt  
Age: 63  
Species: Bison (B. Bison)  
Occupation: Store Owner  
Bio: Grace Holt lives with her husband Roy and manages a camp store.

Gus Hall  
Age: 27  
Species: Mountain Lion (Puma Concolor)  
Occupation: Park Ranger  
Bio: Gus hall is a junior park ranger employed by Roy. He likes to mess with tourists.


	23. Adventure, Pt. 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the lack of an upload yesterday, but this chapter is extra long. I announce all new uploads and updates on my Twitter account (@Latras5) as well as exclusive content.

Chapter XXII, Adventure Pt. 3

The ranger, true to his word, had brought up a six-pack or two from his car, and they started drinking as the sun set over the horizon.

“The name’s Gus. Gus Hall. Pleased to meet you folks, we don’t get many visitors in autumn.”

“Well, my fall break from college is this week, and Milo here decided to take us up here.”

“Yep, I picked this area in particular because nobody comes up here, except in the summer.”

“Yeah, I was gonna ask why you two were so far from the city. It certainly is nice up here on your own, especially when it starts to get chilly.”

The sun was no longer visible, and the trio was about halfway through their beers.

“So,” Rosa asked, “why did we smell blood when you were stalking us?”

“Oh, that? I was butchering a gator when Roy told me we had visitors, so I kept some blood and spread it around where y’all were walking. The birds are also pretty scared of me, being a big cat and all. It take it my plan worked?”

“Yes.” Rosa replied, perhaps a bit too sternly.

Rosa, Milo, and Gus made small talk until the late hours of the evening, discussing life in the city, the recent crisis, and Milo and Rosa’s relationship. By ten o’clock, everyone was sufficiently buzzed enough to bring the conversation to a close.

“Well, I’d best get back to my cabin before Roy decides to spring a surprise visit. It was nice meeting y’all. By the way, how long are you planning on staying?”

“A week.” Rosa said. “I’m on break from school right now.”

“Well, keep a lookout for me when you’re on trails and such. I tend to move around the park a lot.”

Gus left the clearing, leaving Rosa and Milo in silence.

“Y’know what? He seems ok actually.” Milo said. “I mean, for a guy who gets a kick out of scaring the shit out of people in the woods. I kinda like him.”

“Me too.” Rosa said. She glanced at her phone.

“Woah, it’s ten already. We should probably get to bed before we fall asleep out here.”

“Agreed, let’s go.”

And thus, the second day ended.

On the third day, Milo woke up first. He managed to avoid waking Rosa as he untangled himself from the mess of sheets they had formed. Walking to the camper’s door, he opened it to an unexpected sight. A skink was sunbathing on the metal steps up to the door. When he opened it, the creature skittered away from the noise, but remained at a few meter’s distance, looking curiously at him.

“Huh, hey there lil’ guy.” Milo said. Walking back into the truck, he grabbed a slice of bread and went back outside, where the lizard was still looking at the doorway.

“Ya want some food?” Milo asked, breaking off a tiny chunk of bread and tossing it towards the reptile. It ran from the incoming projectile, but stopped when it realized it was edible. It happily grabbed the chunk of bread, then ran under the truck to eat its breakfast. 

“Huh.” Milo said, and then proceeded about his morning routine. He started making coffee first, as its odor never failed to wake Rosa up. It worked, and they were soon sharing toast outside the camper. 

“So, anything you want to do in particular today?” Milo asked.

“I saw a ‘boats for rent’ sign down at Roy and Grace’s shop, do you think we could take one out on that river we saw the first day.

“That’s a pretty good idea, I didn’t notice the sign. We should walk down there and ask about it.”

“That’s a pretty far walk, are we going to move the truck?”

“No, I have a plan for this.” Milo said, moving around the back of the truck to the driver’s side. Rosa followed him, and to her surprise, there was a military surplus motorcycle hanging off of the side, secured by ropes and hooks that Milo was now undoing.

“I’m kinda surprised you hadn’t noticed it before. It's been hanging there ever since we left.”

“I’ve never had any reason to go over to your side, I don’t even have a license.”

“Wait, you don’t?”

“No, my father didn’t want me to have too much freedom, so he never even let me take a permit test.”

“Oh damn, we need to fix that when we get back home. For now, put this on.” He said, handing her a helmet. “Be glad I didn’t have to find a helmet for antlers, those are a pain in the ass, or so I’ve heard.”

Rosa put the helmet on. It was maybe a size too big, but otherwise it was fine. Milo put his own helmet on, complete with aviator goggles, and they started the few mile trip to the camp store.

When they arrived, Roy was just walking to his truck, ready to begin a daily patrol of the park boundaries. When he saw the motorcycle approaching, he stopped and waved.

“Hey you two! How goes the camping?”

Milo dismounted, hanging his helmet and goggles off the handlebars.

“Pretty well, we were thinking about renting a boat today. Could you show us where they are?”

Roy shook his head.

“I’m about to go on patrol, but Grace can definitely help you, just don’t let her get started on a conversation, she can talk for hours with new folks.”

“I gotcha, thanks Roy.”

“Anytime.”

Roy drove off as Milo and Rosa went inside the shop.

“Howdy! What do y’all need?” Grace asked.

“Hello Grace, we were looking at boat rentals for the day. What can you tell us about them?”

“Well, we have a few skiffs available, perfect for a day on the river, usually it's fifty bucks for the day, but it's the off season right now so I’ll only charge you twenty. Call it a first-timer discount.” Grace answered with a wink. “Let me drive y’all down to the dock.

They piled into the park’s transport van, and Grace drove them a few miles downhill to the river, motorcycle in the trunk. They pulled up in front of a boat shed and Grace unlocked it with one of the several dozen keys on an old keyring. 

“Here y’all go! Pick any you like, they’re all in similar condition. You know how to drive a boat, right?”

Milo nodded.

“Thanks Grace, it sounds like it's gonna be a good day.”

“I certainly hope so. You two have fun now!” Grace said as she handed them a set of keys, and started up her old van and drove off.

“Well, let’s pick one.” Milo said.

“I like that one.” Rosa said, pointing to the oldest looking one of the bunch. It had a metal hull and blue stripes running along its length, it also had a center console with a steering wheel and throttle controls.

“Yeah, that one looks good.” Milo said, lowering himself in and making his way to the pilot’s seat. Turning the key in the ignition, the motor turned over twice before starting.

“Well, let’s get going.” Milo said.

They pulled out of the shed and started heading east, Milo opening the taps and unleashing the full power of the thirty plus year old engine. As expected, they were making thirty kilometers per hour at best, but it was an enjoyable experience. They had all the time in the world to examine the scenery around them. Then, Rosa made a discovery.

“Hey Milo!”

“Yeah?”

“There’s fishing rods back here!”

“Really? Is there bait too?”

Rosa looked again through the compartment she had found the rods in, and sure enough, there were some dried mealworms. She had never fished before, as her father said it was ‘an evil activity, only suitable for those below us’ or something along that line. She was interested in fishing, however, and she picked up one of the rods.

“Yes, there’s bait. Should we go fishing?”

“I’m not sure, I think we need a license to fish.”

Rosa looked into the compartment again.

“Hold on, there’s a note here. It says ‘To anyone using this boat, the parks department gives you permission to fish in moderation whilst in the Jack Holt Memorial State Park.”

“Huh, that’s lucky. Let’s do it.” Milo said, turning the boat towards the middle of the river.

“I found a map too, it says there’s a lake just a few minutes from here, should we try to fish there?”

“Yeah, sounds good.”

They proceeded towards the lake, which was quite large. It even had a small island near the center, which would make a great place to cook any fish they caught. Milo had a day pack with all sorts of tools and items in it, so they were set.

“Have you ever fished before?”

“No, never.”

Milo walked to Rosa’s end of the boat, sitting next to her. He had his own rod, and he used it as an example to her.

“You have a hook attached, right?”

“Yes.”

“You’re gonna want to spear one of these mealworms on the barb.” Milo said. Rosa cringed slightly as she did it, but the bug was already dead and she knew it couldn’t feel itself being impaled.

“Now,” Milo said, standing up, “you have to put the rod behind you,” he swung the rod over his shoulder, “and cast it!” He said, swinging the rod forward while pressing the line release on the reel. The hook flew about a half a dozen meters and landed in the water with a splash.

“Like that! Make sure that you don’t hold down the release until you’ve completed the swing.”

Rosa lifted her rod and copied Milo’s actions as best she could. Her line landed a meter or two short of his.

“Pretty good for a first-timer. Now, we wait.”


	24. Adventure, Pt. 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one's a bit frisky, I hope y'all don't mind.  
> ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Chapter XXIII, Adventure Pt. 4

Milo got the first bite.

“I gotta bite!” He said, standing up and getting a grip on his rod.

“It’s pretty good sized by the strength.”

Rosa stood up too and looked over to his bobber. Sure enough, it was moving around as the fish it was now attached to tried to escape.

“Do you need any help?”

“Nah, I’m good. It’ll tire itself out eventually.”

As Milo had predicted, the fish had lost its original vigor after a minute of pulling, and Milo was now able to reel it in. He pulled it out of the water, and held it up. It was a trout, decently sized too. It looked like it was a few kilograms, which would be more than enough for lunch, along with the other supplies they had packed. Milo took out a camping knife and chopped the fish’s head off, killing it.

“Well, lets get over to that island and cook this bad boy up.”

Rosa reeled in her line, and Milo started the boat back up. On one hoof, she was disappointed that she didn’t catch anything, but on the other, she was glad she didn’t have to kill a fish. She looked forward to a homemade lunch on the lake.

They reached the island by about twelve, and Milo inspected it for anything that would cause a problem. He knew there were alligators in the park, and the last thing he wanted was for one to rip his arm off while he was cooking. He found nothing on the island, and he went to the patch of trees to gather some firewood for cooking. He found some wook, and a nice sharp stick to skewer the fish on. Getting back to the shore where they had parked their boat, he piled up rocks on either side of his fire to make a makeshift spit. He turned towards Rosa, who was eyeing the fish corpse with what looked like morbid curiosity.

“You ok?”

“Oh, yes. I was just thinking about how unfair it was to the fish.”

“What? Me killing it?”

“Yes. It was just minding its business and we came up and pulled it out of the water.”

Milo sat down next to her.

“Hey, we do what we do to survive. If the fish had evolved instead of mammals, do you think they would feel sorry about killing us for food?”

“I suppose you have a point. Fish don’t really have any life outside of, well, living.”

“Yeah, and some mammals need protein like this to lead healthy lives. Most fishermammals I’ve met have made peace with the way of things.”

Rosa stood up.

“Okay, I’m better now.”

“Alright! You might want to avert your eyes, though, I’m about to gut this thing.”

“I’d actually like to watch, I might learn something.”

“Suit yourself.”

Milo gutted and then expertly filleted the fish, spearing the two fillets on the stick he had found. He put the stitch on his makeshift spit and slowly rotated the meat, letting it cook. Soon, the smell of trout was heavy in the air. Milo hadn’t anticipated having to cook fish, so he hadn’t brought any sort of spice or seasoning, but it was fine plain, made extra tasty by the fact he had caught it himself. Rosa had a fish sandwich too, which wasn’t as surprising as it should’ve been. Milo was well-aware of Rosa’s meat habit, and as long as it was in moderation he thought it was fine.

“This is amazing Milo!”

“I’m glad you like it, fresh fish always tastes better than the store-bought stuff in my opinion. Maybe it's just the knowledge that you caught and cooked it yourself, but there’s something about it that makes it a richer experience.”

“Maybe it's the scenery.” Rosa replied. “This is certainly a nice place to have a break and eat some food, I couldn’t imagine this tasting better anywhere in the city.”

“You’ve got a point.”

They ate in silence, basking in the crisp and cold air. Finishing up, Milo extinguished his fire and threw their food scraps into the lake. They hopped back in the boat, and started towards the river again. Once they were back on, Milo turned to Rosa.

“Where d’ya want to go?”

Rosa consulted the map she had found.

“It says here that there’s some sunbathing rocks a half-dozen miles downriver, sounds like a good time.”

“Sunbathing it is.”

Milo turned one hundred eighty degrees and gunned the engine. He was having fun, and Rosa was completely stunned by the scenery. They passed rock formations, swamps, ponds, groves, and all other sorts of natural phenomena. It was a truly untouched slice of the world, and she was immersed. It took them about twenty minutes to reach the rocks, but it was well worth the trip. The afternoon sun was perfectly centered on the large, flat stones, and they were just at the right temperature between too cold and too hot. Milo took off his shirk and laid down, testing the rock he had picked out.

“OOOOOoohhhHhhh.” he sighed. The curve of the stone fit his back perfectly, and it was like laying down on a heated blanket. His eyes were closed until he heard cloth rustling next to him. He glanced over, and he saw that Rosa had taken her shirt off too.

“I, er, uh..” Milo stuttered.

“What’s the matter, you took yours off.” Rosa said, giving him a rare mischievous look. She edged closer to him, and they laid a few centimeters away from each other, soaking up the rays of the autumn sun. Milo had to keep reminding himself to not look over at her, but he had snuck a few peeks over the course of the few hours they laid there.

Milo woke up, presumably he had fallen asleep, in the evening. He saw that Rosa was still sleeping and he checked his watch.

“Five thirty. Better get moving.”

He shook his girlfriend awake.

“Uuuuuuuuh.” She moaned. He prodded her a few more times and she eventually sat up.

“Is it time to go?”

“Yep, we need to be back by dark. The trip should take an hour or so.”

“Okay, the rock was getting cold anyways.” She said, picking up her shirt from where she had left it. Milo put his on too, and they piled back into the boat.

The trip back was halfway done when Milo noticed a shape on the river ahead of them. As it materialized, he recognized it as a boat. Newer than theirs, and bearing the green paint of the Parks Department. He slowed down, and whoever was piloting the oncoming craft did so as well. He pulled up next to the other boat to see Gus Hall’s grinning face.

“Howdy! I didn’t expect to see you folks out here, y’all renting a boat?”

“Sure are, we were just heading back for the evening.”

“Ah, okay. It gets dark around here real quick, make sure you get back soon.”

“I got it, it was nice seeing you.”

“Yes, quite.” Rosa piped up from the back of the boat.

“See y’all around!” He said as he sped off down the river.

They continued up the river until they saw the familiar boat shed, and parked their skiff next to the two other unused ones.

“I wonder where Gus parks his boat.” Milo said to himself. The motorcycle was where they had left it after unloading it from Grace’s van, and they mounted up and sped off towards their camp. Upon arriving, Milo noticed a skink sitting on their folding table. It was the one from that morning.

“Oh, hey.”

“What is it?”

“I fed a skink some bread this morning and he’s still hanging around.”

“Is that him on the table?”

“Yep.” Milo said, dismounting and walking over. The small lizard wasn’t afraid of them in the slightest, and it even accepted some scratched from Milo.

“He’s adorable.” Rosa said. The lizard, curious at the new arrival, turned its head and flicked its tongue at the doe.

“Can we keep him?”

Milo thought about it. As far as lizards go, they were pretty low-maintenance pets, but if they took him home, they’d be removing him from his habitat, which was a big no-no.

“Maybe, if he’s still around when we pack up then I’ll consider it.”

They gave the skink some final pets and walked inside their camper for a night’s sleep. There was a problem, however. They had both had a few hour nap in the afternoon, and the duo was feeling completely energized.

“Do you want to go for a short night hike?” Milo asked.

“Isn’t that dangerous?”

“Not if we bring flashlights and go slowly.”

“Hmmm. Sounds like a good way to tire ourselves out. Yeah, lets go.”

They hiked for twelve minutes, before Rosa pulled her boyfriend aside.

“Now that we’re all alone, I have another idea of how we could exhaust ourselves.”

Milo blushed and stammered as he felt two hooves undoing his jacket buttons.

“B-b-but we’re in public! We-”

“What public?”

It was a good point, and Milo decided to go with it.


	25. Adventure, Pt. 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is loooooong, almost 3k words long. Sorry for no weekend chapters, but stuff happens. Follow @Latras5 on twitter for updates.

Chapter XXIV, Adventure Pt. 5

Milo and Rosa woke up in their camper, sore from a night of rated-x activities. When Milo tried to get up, Rosa pulled him back down, and there wasn’t much the coyote could to to stop their morning cuddle session. I wasn’t like he didn’t want it to happen, however, and they stayed like that until the sun was well up in the sky.

“Uuuuuh. What time is it?” Milo groaned.

Rosa glanced at her phone. The clock read eleven AM.

“Woah, it's late. We’d better get up.” She finally released her prisoner, and stood up. Stretching, she walked over to the rear window of the truck. Looking out, she tried to think of what to do. Maybe some more hiking? No, she felt exhausted. Maybe they could just sit around? No, they were out here to experience the region. Then, she had an idea.

“Milo?”

“Yep?” He responded, still languishing in the bed.

“What’s the nearest town?”

Milo pulled up his phone’s map app.

“As far as I remember, there’s a mining town called Sawtooth fifteen minutes down the road. Why?”

“I was thinking we could go out to eat today. Maybe experience some local restaurants?”

“That’s actually not a bad idea. Let me look up the place.”

Milo fiddled with his phone for a minute, and then apparently found what he was looking for.

“Aha! There’s a family diner in there. It looks like it's open all day, so we can go whenever you want to.”

“Great! Maybe we should go for lunch, I want to see if Marvin is still around.”

“Marvin?”

“The skink we found! I named him Marvin!”

“Oh, well then. Marvin it is.”

Rosa went outside with a slice of bread, intending to feed Marvin with it. Sure enough, the lizard was sunbathing on the steel steps up to the door.

“Hey there. You want some bread?”

Marvin stood up and scurried down to the bottom step, then looked up expectantly at Rosa, bread in hoof. She threw a chunk down to him, and he caught it. She watched him chew happily for a moment, then went back inside. Milo was putting his clothes back on, and she did the same. They lounged around for a few hours after that, playing with Marvin and watching birds fly south for the winter.

“Are we taking the motorcycle?”

“Yeah, it needs gas anyways and there’s probably a service station in town. You ready to go?”

“Yes.”

They stood up and Milo swiped his keys off of the table before they walked outside. Marvin was still there, and he seemed to realize that they were leaving because he scuttled away into the treeline to do skink things. Milo straddled the motorcycle and started it as Rosa climbed on the back.

“Let’s go.”

He drove down the hill and found the dirt road that they had used twice before. The military bike was able to handle the bumpy terrain with ease, and they were soon at the visitor’s center once more. They passed it and pulled out onto the main park road, and then the highway. Milo accelerated and they were flying towards Sawtooth within half an hour of them leaving.

“So, what’s in Sawtooth?” Rosa said over the wind.

“Not much, I’m afraid. A few hundred people, a general store, a restaurant, and a gas station.” Milo shouted back over the noise. “There are some pretty good driving roads around there, so we should be able to have some fun on the bike.”

Rosa leaned into Milo’s back, and they saw the road sign for the town before long.

“Here we are!” Milo said as he slowed the bike down. They had entered the town, and Milo could see the square with the diner, gas station, and store. The town wasn’t what he had been expecting, he’d expected a run-down shithole out in the backwoods, but they had found a hidden gem. While old, everything seemed to be in good condition, and they even got a few waves as they rode through. He pulled into the diner’s parking lot into one of the designated motorcycle spots. Shutting off the bike, they dismounted and hung their helmets off the handlebars. They walked in.

The door opened with a chime as it hit a bell dangling from the roof.

“Welcome!” A huge grizzly bear said from the back, his head almost scraping the ceiling. “Sit anywhere you like, I’ll be with you in a second.”

There were only a few occupied tables in the diner, so the duo opted for the most comfortable looking booth in the place. The grizzly, having finished whatever he was doing, came out from the kitchen after a few minutes.

“Hey there! You folks are new!”

“Yep, we’re on vacation at the Holt State Park right now, and we thought we would get a bite to eat at a local place while we’re out here.”

“Well, you certainly came to the right place! Best breakfast, lunch, and dinner within thirty miles! Now, what would you like to drink?”

“I’ll have a coffee.”

“Cola for me.”

“You got it, I’ll be out in a few minutes.”

The grizzly lumbered away back into the kitchen.

“This place seems okay.” Milo said, glancing at their surroundings. 

“Do you mean the town, or the restaurant?”

“Both, I was kinda expecting a run-down podunk, but it's nice. Bucolic, or something like that. Seems like a good place to relax.”

“I see what you mean.” Rosa said, taking a closer look. The diner was a perfect slice of the sixties, vintage upholstery and checkerboard tiling. The people seemed amiable enough, too. There was a horse couple holding hooves at a table on the other side of the restaurant, and there was a fox and rabbit sitting at a booth near them. Milo couldn’t make out what they were talking about, but they seemed to be having a good time, so he left them to it. He turned his attention back to the menu.

Their waiter came back a minute later.

“Here you go, are you both ready to order?”

Milo glanced at Rosa.

“Are we?”

“Yes. I’ll have the pancakes with toast.”

“I’ll have the same with scrambled eggs.”

“Alright, I’ll be out with your orders in a jiff.”

Whilst they were waiting for their food, they watched the town square through the diner’s windows. People were coming and going about their business, often stopping to greet one another as morning transitioned to afternoon. They continued to look until Milo leaned in and kissed Rosa. It was such a sudden gesture that she didn’t have time to comprehend that it had happened before he pulled away.

“What was that for?”

“Just to say I love you.”

“Well then, let me return the favor.”

She leaned in and deeply kissed him. They held the kiss for a few seconds until a voice broke their romantic stupor.

“Hey!”

They broke off and looked towards the horse couple, where the sound had originated. The mare had stood up and was now walking towards them, angrily.

“What do you two think you’re doing?!”

The horse looked angry, for some reason, and she stomped over to their booth.

“Ma’am?” Rosa asked, trying not to stand up herself.

“You! You, freaks, are ruining our town! You with your interspecies agendas! You’re trying to wipe out our culture! Our history! Our lives!”

They could now tell that they were dealing with a slightly insane mammal, and Rosa tried her best to keep her cool.

“Ma’am, I can assure you that-”

“Don’t talk to me, filth! You and your trash dog are ruining mammalian society!”

The line had been crossed. She was usually fine with insults toward her person, but when someone insulted a loved one, all bets were off. Rosa stood up.

“Please, repeat that.”

The mare looked down at Rosa. She was taller than the doe, but only by a few centimeters.

“I said, you and your trash dog are-”

“Shut the fuck up.”

The mare looked taken aback.

“Excuse me?!”

“I'm sorry. PLEASE, shut the fuck up. I really don’t enjoy the sound of your voice.”

“Well, I never-”

“Oh, are you going to do something about it? Maybe get your lover boy over there to beat us up? Maybe call the police on us for ‘inappropriate behavior?’. As far as I can tell, we haven’t done anything except love each other, is that illegal?”

“You.. you’re going to wipe out the culture of Zootopia! You want to breed out all individuality until all of us are one ugly, slobbering amalgamation of all of the species! You disgust me!”

“As far as I know, we can’t even have a child. If we could, I can’t imagine it being any worse then whatever putrid stinking mass of foal that could come out of your stinking body!”

Milo was absolutely shocked. He didn’t know that Rosa had the capacity for this much anger.

“Rosa, it's not worth it. Just sit down and ignore this bitch.”

The mare turned her attention to Milo.

“And you! You filthy chomper! You’re polluting the prey gene pool with your meat-eating stink! Why don’t you stick to your own kind, mutt!”

When Milo started to stand up, Rosa put her hoof over his chest, as if to say ‘I’ll handle this.’ At the same time, the mare’s boyfriend walked over to their table.

“Are you insulting my girlfriend?”

“She was the instigator here. I was simply responding to verbal assaults made upon me and my boyfriend.”

“Your boyfriend? You can’t be serious.”

“What?!”

“He’s a coyote, you’re a deer. It goes against the natural order! You two dating is an insult to nature itself, and you will reap what you sow.”

“What the fuck does that mean?” Milo said. He was now standing up, and the two couples were in a full standoff. It looked like there was going to be a brawl until a large shape emerged from the kitchen doors.

“Get out.” The grizzly bear waiter said calmly.

The horse couple looked triumphant as Milo and Rosa started towards the door, but their expressions fell as the bear spoke again.

“No, not you. Them.” He said, pointing a clawed finger at the horses.

“Wh- what?” The mare stammered.

“You can’t make us leave! We’re paying customers just trying to preserve our way of life!” The stallion shouted at the bear. It was the wrong thing to say. The grizzly stood up to his full height, over two and a half meters, and addressed the horses again.

“Get out. Now. Before I make you.” He said, taking a step towards the stallion, who was beginning to crack under pressure.

“C-cmon, honey. We don’t want to eat in an establishment that serves freaks anyways.”

The horses left, and they could be seen getting into their beat-up pickup truck and peeling out of the parking lot. The bear turned to Milo and Rosa, who were still standing, watching the horses leave. He relaxed his posture and put on his smile again.

“Sorry about that, folks. Some real nasty characters can live this far out of the city. But please, don’t let them tarnish your view of our little town. I can assure you that most people here are quite welcoming, especially to a young couple like yourselves.”

Milo and Rosa walked back to their seats. Before sitting, Milo turned to address the bear.

“Not a word, my small friend. Just wait for your food to come out, it's on the house.”

“Wait! Hold on, you can't just-”

“Not a word. It's the least I can do to apologize for the behavior of my patrons.”

Milo didn’t have anything to counter that, so he just sat back down. Their food came out minutes later.

“Here ya go, two orders of pancakes, one with toast, one with eggs.”

The bear set down their plates in front of their respective owners, and lumbered back to his post, waiting for more customers. Their pancakes were excellent, and they wolfed them down within minutes. The eggs and toast were good too, and they finished off their plates within a quarter hour.

“Shit, they don’t make food like that back in Tundratown.”

“They really don’t.”

“Of course we don’t, good food is special to the area. We pride ourselves on hospitality and all that.” The grizzly, seeing that they had finished, had walked over again.

“I take it you folks enjoyed your meal?”

“Very, are you sure you don’t want us to pay?”

“I’m sure, you folks have a good day now!”

Before they could get up to leave, three pickups pulled up in front of the store, including the horse couple’s. About a dozen equines hopped out of the cabs and beds of the trucks, all carrying some sort of firearm.

“Uh oh.” The bear said. He went back behind the counter, and they could hear him talking to the police. When he was finished, he grabbed a lever-action rifle from the back room.

“You folks better get in the kitchen, shit might get hairy in a second.”

Heeding the bear’s words, Milo, Rosa, and the rest of the patrons retreated to the kitchen in the back of the diner. From the round door windows, Milo could see the leader of the group, a grizzled old stallion, approaching the restaurant door. Opening it, he walked to the counter where the bear was standing, rifle lowered to a resting position.

“Calvin.” The bear addressed the horse.

“Curtis.” The horse said back. “Mind telling me why my daughter was kicked out of your establishment?”

“Your daughter was disrupting the peace. I simply asked her to leave, as to not lose valuable patrons.”

“Sarah said that you threatened her.”

“I asked her to leave, and when she and her boyfriend refused to leave, I said that I would make them. There was no problem after that.”

“Oh but there was. You see, nobody refuses service to the Equat family. Especially someone who serves a freak of nature. We want you to let us all in, you see, or there’s going to be trouble.”

The bear lifted his rifle, putting the stock in the crook of his shoulder. It looked, at least to Milo, to be chambered in .45-70 Government ammunition, so if he fired at any of the horse’s center mass, they were as good as dead.

“I’m going to have to ask you folks to leave. Before I have to take action.”

“I think you underestimate your situation here. You see, there’s twelve of us, and one of you.”

The horse was right. Curtis might get one on his way down, but all of them had guns, and it was only a matter of time before he was killed, if it came to shooting.

“Count again.”

As the bear said that, two state trooper SUVs rolled to a stop outside the diner, and about ten armed police got out of them. What Milo assumed to be the sheriff of the town stepped out of the lead car’s passenger seat, and walked past the Equat family members into the diner. Opening the door, the old wolf spoke.

“Howdy Curtis. You called?”

“Yes, I did, Sheriff Howler.”

“What seems to be the problem?”

The wolf turned to the old horse standing next to him.

“Is there an issue, Calvin?”

The horse realized he was outgunned, and shook his head.

“No, Sheriff. Just a misunderstanding.”

“Good. Now, all of you, clear out. Now.”

The horses jumped back into their trucks and sped off, presumably towards their part of town. The sheriff turned to his deputy.

“Jake, take your squad and tail them, make sure they don’t cause no trouble.”

The deputy nodded, and he and his squad got back into their SUV, tailing the retreating convoy of trucks. The sheriff turned back to Curtis.

“Mind telling me what the fuck just happened?”

“Sarah Equat and her new boyfriend came in shortly before an interspecies couple, they harassed them and I asked them to leave. Things escalated, as you are aware.”

“Ah, I see. Well, I’ll leave you to it, and be sure to call if they show up here again.”

“Of course, Sheriff.”

The sheriff and his squad left, and the patrons came out from behind the metal kitchen doors. Rosa walked up to Curtis and tried to apologize for all the trouble they’d caused.

“I’m so sorry, we didn’t mean to-”

“There ain’t nothing for you to apologize for. You never instigated anything, and you didn’t roll up to my restaurant with a shotgun. That makes you good in my book.”

“Thank you, Mr. Curtis. You’ve been very kind.”

“Just Curtis is fine. And you’re welcome. Are you two finished eating?”

“Yes, we were about to leave before they showed up.” Milo answered. 

“Well then, you two have a nice day. I wouldn’t go up to the northwest side of town, that’s where all of the Equats live.”

“Duly noted, thanks Curtis.” Milo said as he walked out the door. Rosa followed him out soon after.

“Well, that was a shitstorm. I’m glad Curtis and the sheriff had our backs.”

“Me too. What are we going to do now?”

“Let’s go for a ride.” Milo said, starting the motorcycle.


	26. Adventure, Finale

Chapter XXV, Adventure, Finale

Their bike ride took up the better part of the afternoon, and luckily, they had no more encounters with the horse family that had accosted them earlier that afternoon. They had even rode past the mines north of the town.

“So, what exactly do they mine here?” Rosa asked as they twisted and turned through the old mountain roads. Milo was right, there were some nice driving spots up here.

“Last time I was here, it was coal, but after it was banned, I don’t know. There’s all sorts of minerals up in these hills, so they probably have a lot left to get out of the ground and refine.”

They finished up their excursion into the surrounding area, and they were back through the park gates by six. They rode back on the dirt road to their camp that they had taken the day before. 

“That was a fun day, thanks for the idea.”

“No problem, I enjoyed it too.”

They pulled up next to the camper a few minutes after, and were greeted by Marvin. He had, presumably, been waiting for them for a while, and he scuttled off of their table and up to their motorcycle as Milo shut it off.

“Hey there, little guy.”

The skink looked up at Milo and flicked his tongue happily. When Milo offered a paw, he climbed up on it and looked at him quizzically. 

“He is pretty cute, isn’t he?” Milo said, presenting the lizard to Rosa. She delicately scratched his chin, and he jumped from the coyote’s paw to her shoulder.

“Well, I guess we know who he likes more.”

Rosa smiled at the small reptile and walked over to the edge of the bluff they were camped out on. The sun was setting over the horizon and there was a brilliant orange and pink hue to the clouds.

“Can we have a fire tonight?”

“Like in a pit? I don’t see why not. It's not wildfire season, after all.”

Milo stood next to Rosa for a while, until the sun went down. After it did, he spoke.

“I’ll go off into the woods to get firewood.”

“I can help too.”

“You don’t have night vision. I’ll go.”

Rosa didn’t have a counter-argument to that, and she watched the canine walk off into the forest until her eyes couldn’t discern him from the dark treeline. She sat in her folding chair and scratched Marvin, who had traveled down to her lap, waiting for him to come back.

It was dark. Not dark to the point where Milo couldn’t see, but certainly darker than the city. As such, Milo was bound to miss something, which he did. He did not see a tree root that was slightly sticking out of the ground, and he tripped over it. He fell, barely managing to put his arms out in front of him before he hit the earth. His legs were not as lucky as his torso, however. His right leg hit a branch, and the wood cut a gash on his calf. He winced. He was wearing his good pants, and there was now a bloody rip in them. He touched the cut and winced again. It was deep, and he’d have to patch himself up once he got back to camp. Fortunately, he had just about finished gathering wood, and he limped back to camp with it in his arms.

When Milo stumbled into the clearing, Rosa could tell something was wrong. It was dark, and she couldn’t be sure, but it appeared that he was limping. 

“Are you okay?”

Milo’s ears perked up and swiveled towards her.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Help me get this fire started.”

After a few strikes of a lighter, and some gasoline from a can, the fire was blazing comfortably and the pair retired to their camp chairs. Rosa looked over to Milo, who looked to be panting.

“Are you sure you’re okay?”

“Yeah, I just got a little scrape in the woods. I’ll be fine, I just have to go get the first aid kit from the truck.”

Rosa looked down at the coyote’s right leg, and gasped. That wasn’t a scrape, it wasn’t even a cut, it was a gash. A heavily bleeding gash. When Milo tried to stand up and walk, she pushed him back down.

“You stay right there, I’ll take care of it.”

Milo didn’t protest, perhaps sensing her urgent tone of voice, and she opened the passenger door and grabbed the red pouch from the glovebox. Carrying it back over to the fire, she opened it and took out some disinfectant, a bandage, and a small water bottle. She rolled up his pants to his thigh and poured the bottle over the wound before picking up the disinfectant.

“Hold still. I’m going to put some of this over the cut.”

Milo braced himself. He had been administered Hydrogen Peroxide before, and it stung like a motherfucker. Rosa sprayed the wound, and he clenched his teeth. It wasn’t as bad as he had remembered from his childhood, but it still hurt. Rosa set the spray bottle on the ground, and unwrapped the bandage. Wrapping it around his still tender leg, she looked at him.

“How did this happen?”

“I was just walking around, and I missed a root sticking out of the ground. There was a branch next to it, and it hit my leg on the way down. It's really not that big of a dea-”

Rosa put her hoof over his muzzle.

“It is to me. You were hurt, and you didn’t tell me about it.”

Milo’s ears folded back onto his skull. He hadn’t told her about it. Whether it was pride, or him just wanting to avoid an overreaction, it was a mistake.

“I’m sorry.” He whined. Rosa realized that she had given off the wrong sort of feeling. Finishing off the bandage wrapping, she put her arms around her boyfriend and squeezed gently. Milo cautiously returned the gesture.

“I love you, Milo.”

“I love you too.”

They stayed like that for minutes, until Rosa finally let go.

“If anything like that happens again, you tell me.”

“Of course.”

Rosa returned to her seat, and they watched the fire die down under the moonlight. Marvin even joined them, curling himself up in front of the heat source. When it finally went out, they went to bed.

They woke up on their final day in the park. Milo’s leg was still sore, but it wasn’t a throbbing pain like last night. He wanted to get up, but like the last morning, there were two hooves keeping him down. An hour passed, and Rosa finally stirred.

“So, what do you want to do today?”

“I was thinking some more hiking.” 

“Absolutely not. Not in your condition.”

“Well, then. What are we supposed to do?”

Rosa thought, and then had an idea.

“We could go on a picnic in the woods. There are clearings everywhere, and at least one of them has to be suitable.”

“I thought you said I couldn’t walk?”

“Exactly.”

Milo was confused. He was less confused an hour later when Rosa had hoisted him onto her back and they were trekking through the forest. Milo hadn’t gotten a piggyback ride since he was a teenager, and it felt nice. Not that he was going to admit it. Rosa walked for a few minutes more before they crossed the treeline into a clearing. It was nice enough, and rosa finally put her coyote cargo down, along with the basket of food he was clutching.

“Did you like the ride?”

“Sure.” Milo said, deflecting. “Nice day out today. Good and cold.”

Rosa looked around. She hadn’t noticed it before, but temperatures had fallen significantly over the past two days. When they had arrived, it was in the mid tens, but it had fallen to about five or six degrees over the course of their trip. It was definitely early winter now. It wasn’t all that uncomfortable, though. After all, Rosa had spent half a year living in Tundratown, and she was used to the cold by now. It actually reminded her a bit of home. 

“It is nice. I’m glad you decided to bring us out here.” She paused for a moment. “Maybe I could even retire out here, with you.”

Milo had a strange thought. Had they even thought about their future? When he reflected on it, they hadn’t. They had been so focused on their present that they had neglected to look to what the future would hold for them.

“Do, uh, do you think that you would want to retire with me?”

Rosa considered it. She had never been in a serious and committed relationship before, and she couldn’t know if this was the real deal or not. Being together for life was a huge deal, and she wanted to dwell on it before she made a decision. Then, the emotional part of her brain spoke up. “I love him.” It said. “I love him with all my heart, and I’m never going to let him go.” Eventually, the rational part of her mind was drowned out, and after a few short seconds of silence that felt like hours, she replied.

“Yes, absolutely. You mean the world to me, and then some. I’d be more than happy to spend my life with you.”

Milo stood up to the best of his ability, and kneeled. Reaching into his back pocket, he pulled a small and expensive-looking box out of it.

“Very well then. Rosa Deerborn, will you marry me?”


	27. Reflection

Chapter XXVI, Reflection

Milo handed over the cash that the seller had asked for, and the old mammal, in turn, handed him the keys. The camper was his, but he had one more thing to do before he drove back home. He looked up the nearest jewelry shop, and pulled out onto the road.

He arrived at the jeweler's, wallet in tow. This was going to be expensive, but he was sure it was worth it. He entered the store, and was greeted by a rhino wearing a comically small pair of glasses and a sweater vest.

“Hello there, young man. Do you need any help today?”

“Yes, I’m looking for an engagement ring.”

Back in the future, Rosa was stunned. She couldn’t move. Not her mouth, not her legs, not her arms. She was frozen in place from one sentence. “Do I want to marry him?” she asked herself. They had only been together for a few months. Surely, they were moving too fast. Then, she thought about it some more. They had both almost died together, and they had endured the city’s worst days since the T.A.M.E. program. They had certainly done all of the things that couples did, as she had a clear recollection of their many long nights spent together, and they were definitely bound to each other. As her mother had said, they had gone through so much in so little time, and that had cemented their relationship. 

She considered her options. If she said no, it would crush the coyote. She saw the earnest smile on his muzzle, his pleading eyes, his wagging tail. If she said yes, she could spend the rest of her days with him. She made her decision easily.

“Yes, for now and forever.”

Milo’s tail nearly wagged itself off his butt, and his grin spread as wide as it could. He jumped up, and wrapped Rosa in the tightest hug he could. He buried his face in her shoulder, tears soaking her shirt.

“Thank you.” He whispered.

Rosa returned the hug, and it was half an hour before either of them gathered the strength to break the embrace. Milo was the first to pull away, wiping moisture from his eyes.

“Thank you.” He said again, louder this time. He stood, and Rosa stood too.

“Milo, thank you. Before you came into my life, I had absolutely no idea where it was going to go. I would probably have come crawling back to my father if it wasn’t for you.”

“I probably wouldn’t have fared much better. My job back then wasn’t nearly enough to rent out that apartment.”

“Well then, I suppose we compliment each other perfectly, fiance.”

Milo almost shivered with joy at the doe’s use of the word. They were engaged, and nothing could spoil his mood.

“Alright! Let’s get picnicking.”

They spread out their blanket, and unpacked their food. They ate in silence, each contemplating their decision. Milo was happy. He had been thinking about this day for weeks, mulling it over in his mind, trying to decide if it was a good idea or not. He had eventually consulted Nigel a week previously.

Milo’s phone rang twice, and then his old friend picked up.

“Milo?”

“Hey Nigel. Listen, I need some advice.”

“And I’ll be happy to give it. What’s bugging you?”

Milo sighed, and told him of his plan to propose to Rosa. By the end, Nigel had been silent for a few minutes before he spoke up.

“Did I ever tell you about Janet?”

“No, who is she?”

“The most beautiful weasel I ever laid eyes on. We dated in high school. When we both went off to college, I wanted to propose, but I never could bring myself to. Every time I tried to work up the nerve, I couldn’t. Eventually, the stress became unbearable, and I broke up with her. I think that’s what started my drinking problem, every time she would call me I poured a shot and waited for the phone to stop ringing. I wanted to pick up, I really did, but I was worried about what she would say, what she would think of me. Eventually, it went silent forever. That was back in eighty-five, and I haven't seen her since. So, to answer your question, do it. You get one shot at this, and I hope that you don’t fuck it up like I did.”

Nigel hung up before Milo could speak, leaving the coyote alone at his desk.

Milo shook his head, removing the thoughts of Nigel from his mind. He would call that night and tell him the good news.

“So, where do we go from here?”

“Are you talking about today, or forever.”

“Both, I suppose. How are we going to go about getting married? Not many ministers want to condone a pred-prey wedding, after all.”

“I was just thinking that we could sign some papers and be done with it. We don’t need some big fancy ceremony with a decorated ballroom to know that we love each other, we just need ourselves and maybe some friends.”

“Milo, that’s really sweet. I think that would be preferable to a traditional wedding, actually.”

“Are you sure? I don’t want to ruin the experience for you.”

To answer his question, Rosa leaned across their empty plates and kissed him. As always, Milo was stunned for a few milliseconds before he returned it, with equal vigor. With more enthusiasm, they kept trying to outmatch each other, eventually resulting with Milo sitting on top of Rosa, deeply kissing her. He tried to just concentrate on the kiss, but there was a pressure building deep in him that demanded release. He pulled away.

“Rosa, I-”

Rosa shook her head.

“Not today, at least not with your leg. No sex until it’s healed.”

“But-”

“No buts, including mine.”

Milo smiled and demounted his girlfriend.

“In that case, let’s pack up and get going.”

“On no, I said no sex. I have other ideas in mind, though.” 

Rosa eyed him hungrily, and she pushed him down to the ground, reversing their previous situation.

“Now, let’s see what I can do about that.” She said, gesturing to his personal regions.

Her hooves started roaming, and they were soon locked in a passionate embrace.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please don't call the horny police.


	28. Cold

Chapter XXVII, Cold

Walking back to the camper for their final night in the park, Rosa and Milo didn’t talk. Just basking in each other’s comforting presence was enough, and they both felt at peace. Milo didn’t think of the responsibilities of his job, and Rosa didn’t think about the daily tedium of school. They just watched the scenery go by as they climbed the hill.

They saw Marvin as they approached, and he scurried over and up onto Rosa’s shoulder, perhaps sensing that they were in a good mood. He flicked his tongue happily as Milo scratched his chin.

“You know, I think things are going to work out.”

Rosa smiled.

“I think they are too.” 

Milo was about to respond before a pair of headlights glared from around a bend in the road, followed by a familiar parks department truck. What was Roy doing here?

The bison stopped his car and stepped out.

“Hey Roy, what’s up?”

“Howdy. You two have noticed the change in temperature over the past few days, right?”

“Yes.”

“It never gets like this, especially this early into the winter. I’ve just got off the phone with the weather station west of here, and there’s a blizzard coming in, quickly. They say it's going to be here within hours.”

“What are we supposed to do?”

“You should get out of the park, maybe find a hotel somewhere nearby. I know that Prachett has a bed and breakfast, you should head there as soon as you’re able.”

“Are you sure that the storm is coming?”

“Yes. It would be too dangerous for you to stay, and you might get snowed in as well. Blizzards up here usually last for a few days at best.”

“Well then, we’d better pack up before it gets darker. Thanks for telling us, Roy.”

“You are welcome. It was nice having you two here for the week, we don’t get visitors during this season. I’m glad you two respected the park while you were here, and you’re welcome back anytime.”

“Of course. We might make this a yearly thing we do. What do you think, Rosa?”

“I think that would be wonderful. Thank you, Roy.”

“No problem. Stay safe, and good luck.”

Roy stepped back into his truck, and turned around.

“Well, that puts a damper on the trip. We’d best get packing.”

They didn’t have much to do, as they could just fold up their camp chairs and table and put them in the living area of the camper. Marvin watched them pack, and when they were through, Milo went over to him.

“Are you coming with us, little guy?”

As if he understood what was going on, Marvin jumped up onto the coyote’s paw.

“I’ll take that as a yes.” Milo said, circling around to the driver’s side door. Rosa was already in the passenger seat, and she smiled when she saw Marvin perched on Milo’s paw.

“Are we taking him home?”

“Yep, he’s gonna be staying with us.”

Rosa held out her hoof, and Marvin transferred himself to her shoulder, and then on top of the dashboard. He looked like he was basking in the evening sun.

“Well, let’s go.”

Milo turned the keys, and the old engine turned over twice, sputtered, and roared to life. Letting out a barely audible sigh of relief, Milo put his foot down. The truck struggled to get out of the ground it had sunk into for a week, but it eventually dug itself out with a shudder. Milo did a three-point turn, and they were back on the dirt road out of the park. Passing the now familiar scenery, there was a sense of melancholy as they realized they wouldn’t be back for another year. The dirt widened into a two-lane gravel road, and they had soon passed the main parking lot and were on the entrance road.

Leaving was always Milo’s least favorite part of any trip. He liked to form attachments to anywhere he went, and going back home, far away from whatever place he had chosen, was hard. He comforted himself with the fact that they could go back the next year. And they had two reminders of the time they had spent there. Marvin, and their engagement. Milo still couldn’t believe it. He was getting married! A year ago, he was content with just being a loner for the rest of his life, working his job until he retired and eventually kicked the bucket. But now, he had someone to spend his life with. He took his eyes off the road for a split second to look at his fiance, who was petting Marvin. He smiled, and pulled onto the highway.

“Roy mentioned Prachett right?”

“Yes. Is that a town?”

“Yep, de-facto capital of the region. It's about an hour and a half’s drive down the road, we should be able to find a hotel there.”

“I’ll look for some, you focus on driving.”

“You got it, love.”

He put the speed up to one-hundred, and they drove off toward the town. After half an hour of driving, Milo noticed a light snowfall starting to form on the road.

“Shit.”

“What?”

“We still have an hour left to go, and it's snowing.”

Rosa looked out of the window at the gathering snow. There were no other cars on the road, as they had probably heard of the blizzard beforehand and the locals were huddled up in their homes. She turned her attention back inside. Marvin had curled up in her lap, and Milo was looking concerned.

“We’re low on gas.”

“Should we pull over somewhere?”

“No, we can make it. There isn’t enough snow to be dangerous and there’s bound to be a gas station somewhere where we can fill up.”

“If you say so.”

Milo slowed down, not wanting to slide on the new layer of frozen water covering the asphalt, and he kept his eyes peeled for any sign of a rest stop. Fifteen minutes later, he found one. It was a small gas station, but it would do. He pulled into the pump area and put a hat and balaclava on, anticipating the cold. He stepped out, and quickly shut the door to not let any heat out of the already cold truck. He walked to the pump and began fueling.

Milo had finished fueling, and had pulled back out onto the road. The snow was getting heavier, and he was starting to have problems seeing in the darkening haze. The camper’s headlights weren’t doing much, and he had to squint to read road signs.

“Prachett, 50 kilometers.” Read a small crooked sign, almost obscured by the dense tree cover. Milo felt relieved. They had a half-hour to go, and the snow didn’t seem to be getting any worse.

They arrived in the town after forty-five minutes, as Milo had to slow down again as snow drifts started taking over the road. Rosa had the address for the B&B pulled up on her phone, and she directed Milo to it. It was an old building, probably left over from the logging rush in the twenties. Milo pulled into a spot, and they prepared to leave. Rosa woke up Marvin and slipped him in one of her jacket’s inside pockets, keeping him warm.

They made a mad dash from the truck to the door, and Milo almost slipped on the fresh ice. Rosa caught him, fortunately, and they made it to the entrance. Stepping inside, they were greeted by a blast of heat, and they took off their heavy coats and hats.

“Y’all are cutting it a bit close.”

They turned to the small voice. A young squirrel was sitting at a miniature desk in the center of the room.

“I take it ya want a room?”

Milo stepped forward.

“Yes, we would. I take it you have one available?”

“Yep! Forty bucks a night, all amenities provided. It's on the second floor, room 6. And if you two want to do romantic stuff, make sure you wash the sheets.”

Milo, blushing, handed over two twenty-dollar bills, and he and Rosa walked upstairs with their light luggage. Stopping at the door, Milo had to jiggle the keys on the lock to get it open. They went in, and set their luggage down in the small closet. Marvin crawled out of Rosa’s jacket, and he happily began exploring his new surroundings.

“Well, we made it. It looks like we’re gonna be here for a few days.”


	29. Breakfast

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's a more lighthearted chapter to make up for that atrocity I posted yesterday.

Chapter XXVII, Breakfast

The big four-poster bed was comfortable, and they had no trouble sleeping. Marvin had found a spot on the windowsill next to the radiator, and he comfortably watched the snow fall.

They woke up late the next morning, and went downstairs for breakfast, which they could smell throughout the building. The squirrel from last night was sitting at a table, alone. Presumably, she had prepared the meal herself, and there was a buffet-style assortment of food on a long table in the back of the dining room. There were already a few scattered mammals eating at tables.

“Good morning! You two are the last ones up. Go ahead and take your pick of the food back there.”

They picked up plates and cutlery from a stack on the end of the food table, and filled them with mouth-watering home cooked breakfast. When they were done, the squirrel addressed them again.

“Why don’t you two come and sit over here, I haven’t met y’all yet.”

They walked to the squirrel’s table, and sat at two of the larger chairs.

“So, you aren’t from around here, are ya?”

“How could you tell?”

“I haven’t seen you around here. Everyone else here is renting the place out apartment-style, but you look like you’re on vacation or something.”

“You’re not wrong, we just came down from the Holt State Park, and we had to stop by here because of the blizzard.”

The three mammals looked outside, where the snow was obscuring everything a few feet beyond the window.

“Yeah, I can see why you wanted to stop instead of driving. Snow like that could kill you.”

The squirrel turned back to them.

“Well, enough about the weather. What’s your story?”

“What do you mean?”

“We don’t see many pred-prey couples out here, usually they stick to the city.”

“Couple? How could you tell?”

The squirrel winked.

“I can smell it on you.”

Milo sniffed the air. He didn’t detect anything out of the norm.

“What?”

The squirrel smiled.

“It’s quite faint, but you two smell a lot like each other. I probably wouldn’t have noticed it if I hadn’t spent the last five years watching mammals come and go though my inn.”

Rosa blushed, and Milo cleared his throat.

“Yeah, we’re a couple. Rosa here is on break from college for a couple of weeks, and I took a few days off from work to be with her. I decided to take us up here.”

Rosa smiled, and put her hoof on his paw.

“You had a special reason, though.”

It was Milo’s turn to blush, and he stammered for a second.

“I-er-uh-”

The squirrel was confused, until she saw the matching rings they wore.

“No way.”

“Yes, way.”

“You two are…”

“Not yet. He just proposed yesterday.”

The squirrel put her hands on her cheeks and squealed.

“Awwwww, that’s so sweet! You took your girlfriend out to a park to propose? I wish I was that romantic!”

Milo grinned. He was happy that there were people out there who approved of his sort of relationship.

“Thank you, uh-”

“Oh! Where are my manners!”

The squirrel extended a paw.

“Florence Mary Valentino. My friends call me Flo, and that includes you.”

Milo delicately shook the small mammal’s paw, and re-addressed her.

“Thanks, Flo. Glad to see people out here approve of this sort of thing.”

“Yes, thank you very much.”

Flo smiled.

“No problem, you two make a cute couple.”

Milo smiled back.

“So, you have our story. What about yours?”

“Hmmm?”

“You’re out here managing an inn alone, what gives?”

“The place has been in the family ever since it was built in eighteen eighty-nine.” Milo was about thirty years off in his estimate of the building’s age. “My mom and dad kicked the bucket about six years ago, and all of my siblings moved south, to the city. I’m the last Valentino left up here, so I inherited the inn.”

“My condolences for your parents. They both died the same year?”

“Yeah, it was in a car crash. They hit a logging truck skidding on the icy roads up north.”

Rosa couldn’t imagine what it would feel like to lose both parents at once. Milo had a better feel for what the squirrel had gone through, but it was still a tragedy.

“Flo, I’m so sorry.”

“It’s fine. They were getting pretty old anyways, and they had already talked to us about their deaths and all that. It wasn’t really a huge deal. We buried them, and went on with our lives.”

Milo was surprised, and he began to form a deep respect for the squirrel. She had endured a tragic event, but had moved on and was thriving.

“So, how old are you? You seem kind of young to be working on your own.” 

“Twenty four.”

“Woah. It's pretty impressive that someone like you to be doing this.”

“Thanks, Milo. What do you two do in the city?”

“I’m currently attending law school.”

“I’m the day foreman at a power plant in Tundratown.”

“Law school? You gonna be a lawyer?”

“Yes, I’m only in year one of class though.”

“Ah, okay. Good for you, though. That's a noble, and lucrative, profession.”

They dug into their food, the squirrel had waited for them to sit down to start eating. The waffle and eggs that Milo had picked were delicious, and the Rosa’s breakfast salad was good as well.

“Did you make all this yourself?”

“Yes, I usually wake up at about five in the morning, and breakfast begins at seven, It's much worse in the summer, though. That’s when all the tourists flock up here.”

“That’s why we’re up here now, we wanted to avoid the stampede.”

“You’re lucky you’re up here now, then. I charge double during the tourist season.”

They finished their food, and Milo offered to take their dishes to the kitchen. When he came back, the two females were discussing something. He saw Rosa’s ears perk up, and they both looked at him, and then away.

“What were you two talking about?”

“Nothing. Flo just had some questions about us.”

“Oh, is that so? What kind of questions.”

“Nothing really. I’m just curious about your relationship.”

“Well, you can ask me too.”

“Well, uh, I was wondering, erm, how it works between you two.”

“How what works?”

Flo made a finger circle, and stuck her other paw’s pointer through it.

“Oooohh. I see. That actually was a concern of mine at first. I’m obviously not as big as a male deer, and I was wondering if Rosa would enjoy it.”

The deer in question blushed, and turned away.

“He makes up for it in other ways…” She said in a small voice.

Flo wiggled her eyebrows up and down.

“Say no more, I got it.”

“Why are you interested?”

“Nothing, I just, uh, wanted a bit of advice.”

“Advice? Wait a sec, are you?”

“I’m interested in an opossum.” Flo said.

“A female opossum.” She corrected. Rosa turned back to face the squirrel.

“A female opossum?”

“Yes. She and I have known each other for ten years now, and she was there for me when mom and dad died. I’m just not sure if she’ll like me back in the same way.”

“You need to ask her. I have a friend that hesitated on one of these situations, and he never got another chance.”

“I know, but we’re such good friends, and I really don’t want to ruin that. If I confess, and she doesn’t feel the same, it could ruin us.”

Rosa considered that. The squirrel had a point, but if she didn’t tell her friend her feelings, she could go for her entire life without finding someone.

“Do you know if she even swings your way?”

“What?”

“Y’know, does she play for the same team?”

Flo seemed to understand.

“Oh, yes. We’ve talked about it.”

“Well then, do it. Even if she doesn’t like you, there’s no reason you can’t be friends. Just tell her how you feel, and wing it from there.”

“A-are you sure?”

“Absolutely.” Rosa interjected.

“Oh, okay then. I’ll call her today. I’ll make sure to tell you how it goes, no matter what happens.”

The pair gave the squirrel a genuine smile, and they left her to her thoughts.

“I hope she gets lucky with that opossum.”

“So do I. Were you really insecure about your, ahem, size?”

“I was. I’m maybe half the height of the average buck, and I was worried that I wouldn’t be up to your standards.”

“Don’t worry about that, Milo. I love you, no matter what size you are. Now, speaking of size, let's get back to the bedroom.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Follow @Latras5


	30. Snowdrift

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If anyone is interested, chapter one of a lewd fic starring Milo and Rosa (still working on a ship name) has been uploaded.

Chapter XXIX, Snowdrift

The day consisted of watching tv in the room, as the snow was still coming down like a thick white curtain, and exploration of the town was a no-go. The inn was warm enough, however, and the couple were quite comfortable. Even Marvin looked at ease, despite the new surroundings.

As the clock neared six, Rosa remembered what Flo had said.

“Hey, It's almost dinnertime, right?”

Milo checked his watch.

“Yeah, why?”

“Flo said she would give us a call if things went well, do you think that they didn’t?”

“She also said she would call if they didn’t go well. Maybe they did, and she just got distracted.”

“Well, dinner is almost done. Let’s go down there and find out!”

Rosa sat up and started towards the door, and Milo followed. He scratched Marvin’s chin as they exited. Walking down the stairs, they started to smell roasting vegetables, and to Milo’s delight, fish. They walked out of the stairwell and exited into the dining area, which now instead of breakfast, and an assortment of dinner foods. They got their plates, and Flo waved them over to the table they’d sat at for breakfast. Milo put his plate down and leaned in expectantly as Rosa did the same.

“Well?” They both asked, like high schoolers.

Flo inhaled, then smiled.

“I gotta date.”

Milo grinned, and then realized that a mouth full of knifelike teeth right next to a squirrel was a bad idea, and he drew back. Rosa’s reaction was more subdued, as she gave Flo a reassuring smile.

“That’s wonderful, Flo. I hope it goes well.”

“I’m with her. You two are gonna make a great couple, I know it.”

Flo blushed and looked up at the larger mammals.

“Thank you both. I probably would’ve never asked her out if it weren’t for you two.”

Flo leaned in for a hug, and the three of them awkwardly embraced, Rosa being careful not to squish the squirrel. They sat back into their respective seats, and tucked into their dinners. When Milo looked outside, the snow hadn’t stopped yet.

“Shit, when is it gonna end?”

Flo looked out the same window.

“Probably tomorrow, but the roads won’t be clear until the day after. That’s when the town council usually sends out the plows.”

She looked back inside, as did Milo.

“So, what kinda date do you have?”

“Oh, nothing special. We’re just going to a movie tomorrow night, and getting some dinner too.”

“What’re you watching?”

“One of those new action movies stemming from the conspiracy, I think it's called ‘Savage Island’ or something like that. To be honest, I don’t think that we’re going for the movie.”

She blushed and rubbed her arm.

“Oooooh, already getting there are we?”

“Milo, some of us are eating here.”

Milo looked abashed at Rosa’s remark, and sheepishly continued to eat his fish.

Once they finished, Milo offered to take their dishes to the kitchen again and he returned to Rosa and Flo having a conversation.

“More girl talk?”

Flo turned to him.

“Maybe.”

He chuckled and decided not to pry further. They sat and talked about various subjects, from politics to the weather outside, from their trip in the woods to Flo’s innkeeping methods. By the time they had tired themselves out, it was about ten o’clock.

“Well, I guess we’d better get to bed.”

“Agreed. It was nice talking with you, Flo.”

“Right back at ya, you two are really nice!”

“Thanks Flo, you seem like a good mammal. Goodnight”

“Goodnight, you two!”

They walked back up to their room, where Marvin greeted them happily. Milo had saved some of the bug loaf that had been on the table, and put it next to his spot on the windowsill. They fell asleep to the sound of the wind on the window.

On their second day, they woke up earlier than they had yesterday. Milo could see the sun still low on the horizon, and Rosa stirred as a beam of light shone through the window and hit her on the face.

“Uuuuuuuuh…”

Milo then realized why he could see the sun.

“Hey! The snow’s stopped!”

Rosa turned over to look at the window, and the snow had indeed stopped. The sky looked clear, and a brilliant layer of white was covering everything in sight.

“Woah.”

“Yeah, even Tundratown doesn’t look like that.”

“Are we going out today?”

“Yeah, probably. We should get looking for something to do here.”

Milo and Rosa both booted up their phones, and got searching for attractions around town. As it only had a few thousand people, there wasn’t much, but there were a couple of museums dedicated to the town’s logging history.

“Some of these museums look interesting, why don’t we go walking around today?”

“Yeah, sounds like a plan. The sidewalks might be a problem, though.”

“Oh, yeah. I didn’t even think about that.”

“I can probably blaze a trail for you, little guy.”

Milo took the tease in stride, and jabbed back.

“At least I’m not a giant Miss Gargantuan.”

They smiled at each other, and then prepared for their day. Milo had to go down to the parking lot and dig the camper out to get a change of clothes from the back. He got them, but they had to be warmed up for a bit on top of the room’s radiator. They were finally ready to go at around ten. As they walked out the door, Rosa realized how much snow was actually on the ground. It was starting to melt off, but there was at least half a meter covering the sidewalk.

“Huh.”

“Do we need to turn back?”

“We might, I can’t see myself doing this for the whole day.”

They were about to turn back in, when they saw Flo come out of the inn.

“Hey you two! Didja sleep ok?”

“Yeah, it was fine. We were going to walk around today, but it seems like everything is snowed over.”

“Oh, that shouldn’t be a problem.”

When the coyote and deer gave her a quizzical look, she answered.

“Watch this.”

She bounded up onto a nearby bench, and she landed on top of the layer of snow on all four paws.

“See! This is how we walk around whenever this happens. Usually, anyone smaller than a wolf can walk around on the snow without sinking in.”

“What about me?” Rosa said.

“You’d probably sink in a few centimeters, but it’ll be fine. Come on up!”

Milo, accepting the invitation, bunched up his muscles and leaped onto the surface of the snow. He felt himself sink a centimeter or two, but he eventually came to rest on the crust.

“Woah, neat!”

Flo smiled.

“Yeah, I think so too! Just remember to stay on all your paws, or hooves in Rosa’s case. It distributes your weight and keeps you from sinking.”

Rosa did the same as Milo, gracefully leaping up to the layer of snow. She sunk in further than him, but she too stayed on top of the snow. Neither of them had walked on all fours since childhood, so it took a few seconds to get their balance oriented. Flo watched them with amusement, and when they were done, she offered a wave as she bounded away.

“Well, let’s go.”

They set off, walking like their ancestors did back in the primitive ages. It felt a bit liberating, and they even saw other mammals doing the same as they headed to the town square. Milo chuckled as he saw an arctic fox kit playfully pounce through the snow, and a group of voles came laughing out of an entrance to a burrow that the fox had just invaded.

“This is nice, walking around like this. It feels more natural than I would’ve felt.”

“Yeah, you’re right.”

Rosa peered at a signpost, half-buried by the snowdrifts.

“I think we’re here.”

Milo glanced up at the sign too.

“Prachett Sawmill Museum.”

Milo shrugged, and they descended down to an entryway that had been shoveled out in front of the old building. Getting back on their legs, they entered.

The museum wasn’t especially interesting, but there were some interesting artifacts and stories from the town’s past, and they actually learned a bit about the timber rush in the nineteen twenties. The same could be said for the other two museums, and by the time they’d finished their historical tour of the town, stopping for lunch at a family restaurant, Milo could see the sun descending to the horizon, and it appeared other mammals were heading home as well.

“We’d better get back. Don’t want to stay out here and freeze our collective tails off.”

“Let’s”


	31. Departing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have a short little chapter to wrap up the whole camping trip arc.

Chapter XXX, Departing

Flo got back to the hotel around eleven, and she was greeted by the only two mammals awake and on the first floor.

“So?” They said in unison.

Flo smiled and gestured to the possum entering the building. She was more than twice the height of Flo, but she looked much more shy, shirking away slightly as she entered. She glanced at Flo, then back to them.

“Jenny, these are Milo and Rosa. Milo and Rosa, this is Jenny.”

Flo and Jenny sat down at their table, and Rosa was the first to speak.

“So, Flo tells me that you two have know each other for a while.”

Jenny spoke next.

“Yeah, ever since we were kids. We went to the only elementary school in town, and there wasn’t much companionship among all the small mammals. We stuck to each other like glue, and we never separated.”

“I gotta say, you two make a cute couple.”

Jenny blushed.

“Thank you, you and Rosa make a good pair as well.”

After the ice was broken, conversation started in earnest. To Milo’s delight, Jenny had almost the same musical taste as him, and when Flo brought out some bourbon, it didn’t take long for them to start drunkenly belting out lyrics to songs they knew, much to the other two’s amusement.

“LIIIIIVING IN THE ERA VULGARISSS!”

“JUST DROOL IN THE DARK AS YOU STARE AT THE LIIIIIGHTS!”

Flo and Rosa shared a grin at their off-key and off-sync significant others, and Flo took out her phone to record.

“What are you doing?”

“This’ll be funny as fuck in the morning, trust me.”

They continued to watch the predators sing until they tired themselves out, and they flopped back down in their chairs. Flo slyly put her phone back in her pocket.

“You two seem to be having fun.”

“It’s not everyday you find someone who likes Kings of the Savage Age as much as you.” Milo said, taking another sip of Bourbon. The discussion quieted down after that, and Rosa and Milo shared their experiences on interspecies dating. Flo and Jenny were especially interested in what they had to say on pred/prey relationships, and they were more than happy to oblige. Rosa even got into some of the more personal details.

“I doubt you two have gotten there, but I had never experienced a love bite until a month or two ago.”

Flo looked interested, while the two predators at the table sunk down into their seats, trying their best to become invisible.

“When you’re in a, er, ‘passionate’ moment, preds, or at least Milo, clamp their teeth down on your shoulder.”

“Ooooooh…” Flo said, looking at Jenny with an untranslatable look, making the possum sink down into her chair more.

“Not enough to draw blood, mind you.” Milo said, wanting to clear up what Rosa meant. “Just enough so that you can feel it.”

“Why?”

“Dunno, some sort of evolutionary thing.”

“Whatever the reason, it's hot.”

The table laughed at Rosa’s unexpected comment, and the conversation continued. By twelve, they had moved on to discussing the past few year’s events when they heard a rumbling noise from outside.

“What the-”  
“That’ll be the plows. It looks like the council sent them out early. You two will probably be able to get back on the road tomorrow morning.”

“Yeah, seems so.”

They went back to their conversation, and Jenny and Flo eventually went to bed around one in the morning. Milo yawned and stretched as they left.

“We’d better sleep too. Whole lotta driving tomorrow.”

“Yes, I’m looking forward to getting home. I’m a bit sad about leaving Flo and Jenny though…”

“We can come up and visit anytime, don’t forget we have plans to come up here every year.”

It was true, and Rosa had no further comment before they went up to bed.

On the dawn of their final day in the inn, Milo looked outside and saw that the plows had done their job. The two-lane road that ran through the town was mostly clear of snow, and he saw a few vehicles on it, driving. It was time to go. His break was almost up, and Nigel had told him that an extension was almost impossible. 

He glanced around the room, where Rosa was already up and packing their bags. She turned to him when she heard him stirring.

“Good morning.”

“Mornin’”

“Are we leaving today?”

“Yep, I need to get back before I get fired again.”

Rosa nodded and returned to packing, and Milo joined her a few minutes later.

Marvin seemed to be aware that they were leaving, and when Rosa offered him a place in her coat pocket, he skittered up her leg and took it, curling up in a small circle.

“Are we ready?”

“Yes, but we should stop and say hi to Flo and Jenny on the way out.”

“Yeah, sounds like a good idea.”

The pair in question were eating breakfast at Flo’s table, and they waved over the couple.

“Hey! Are you two leaving?”

“Yep, we have a long way to drive and I don’t want to be out after dark, especially on icy roads.”

Flo nodded.

“Makes sense. Anyways, it was nice having you here, you’re coming back next year right?”

“Yeah, probably.”

“Well, let me give you my number, just in case you want to reserve a room.”

“Alright.”

After exchanging numbers, Rosa and Milo picked up their bags, and gave a final goodbye to the squirrel and possum. Walking out of the door, Milo turned to the previously unearthed camper.

“Let’s go.”

They piled back into the cab, Marvin slinked to his dashboard spot, and they got back on the road. The roads were mostly clear, and the truck’s clearance was enough to ride over any patches of snow that they found, so they were going fairly quickly. By the late afternoon, they were almost at the Tundratown climate wall. Passing under it, they were greeted with the familiar snow-covered buildings and street markets of the district they called home. Heading to the southeast, the buildings began getting taller, and they were soon in the docks district, and home. The building looked as it always had, and Milo’s car was still sitting in its space. It reassured him that things were normal, and he parked next to it.

It would take them a few trips to get all of the stuff they had up to the room, so they took their backpacks and Marvin up first. When they opened the door, everything was as it had been. Same old couch, same outdated appliances, same cracking pain. It felt nice. Marvin got to exploring, while Milo and Rosa ferried all of their camping supplies up to their apartment. Once they had it all up, they sat down together on the couch.

“Well, we’re home.”

“So we are. It feels good to be back.”

“It feels better to be back with you, fiance.”

“I still can’t wrap my head around it.”

“You don’t need to right now. For now, let’s just sit here and relax.”

They drifted into each other’s arms, and they cuddled until they fell asleep.


	32. Love

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, and sorry for no update yesterday. School is taking the piss out of me right now, so updates might be more infrequent.

Chapter XXXI, Love

Their daily routine restarted the next week. Rosa would wake up and catch the train to college, and Milo would go to work soon after. She would sit in her classes and take notes while he supervised plant operations, and they would head home in the mid afternoon. 

Milo arrived early, as he knew Nigel was there before the rest of the day shift. He had something to tell the old ferret. Milo found Nigel in his office.

“Ah, Milo! You’re here early.”

“Nigel, I have something to tell you.”

“You do?”

Milo pulled his paw out of his pocket, displaying his engagement ring. Nigel stared at it for a few seconds before realizing what it meant.

“No fucken way.”

“Yes fucken way!”

Nigel pulled him into a surprisingly strong hug, for an elderly ferret.

“Little Milo’s gettin hitched!”

Milo returned the hug, taking care not to crush the small mammal. Nigel let go shortly after.

“So, you went and did it.”

“Yep, took her out to a forest and everything. Thanks for the advice, by the way.”

Nigel looked up at him.

“I’m always here for ya.”

With that, they could hear the sound of the day shift shuffling in, and they went back to their respective seats.

Rosa sat down in the lecture hall, waiting for the rest of the class to arrive. Over the course of her few months at school, she had managed to make some friends, and they always sat in the third row, all the way to the left. She saw them there already, and made her way over.

Robbie was a male black jaguar. He had been living with his parents for a few years before they finally kicked him out and he decided to go to college. Lucia was a merino sheep ewe, and she had come from a line of law students. Rosa sat down next to them, and they stopped whatever conversation they were having to talk to her.

“Good to be back, eh?” Robbie said. Rosa smirked at his obvious sarcasm and organized her books.

“But seriously, what did you do over the break?”

“Milo took me out on a road trip.”

Robbie and Lucia, who were previously organizing their things as well, both turned to face her.

“Where?”

“Up north a few hundred kilometers, in the woods. He bought a camper truck and we stayed up there for a week.”

She had told them about Milo and her history with him beforehand, so Lucia smiled.

“Awwww! That’s so sweet!”

Robbie plastered a devious smirk on his muzzle.

“And?”

“And what?”

“What’s that ring on your hoof?”

Rosa hadn’t realized that she had been resting her hoof, and the ring Milo had given her was clearly visible. Robbie had obviously figured it out, and Lucia did as well a second later.

“Oh my goodness! Did he, uh…”

“Propose? Yes, he did.”

Her friends congratulated her as loudly as they could, as the professor was sitting at the front of the class, preparing to begin the lesson. Robbie, who was usually apathetic and sarcastic, actually had a genuine look of happiness for her.

“That’s great! From what I know about the guy, he seems like the mammal for you.”

“Seconded,” Lucia said, “both of us are happy for you!”

Rosa beamed at them, but before she could thank them for the kind words, the professor stood up and cleared his throat into the microphone. They gave her knowing smiles, and they started taking notes.

The class lasted a few hours, and the three friends agreed to eat lunch together. They had an hour to do so, so they hopped on a bus to the markets to eat there. Rosa knew the area better than them, as Robbie lived in the Rainforest district and Lucia lived in the Meadowlands, so she took the lead.

“What do you two feel like eating?”

“Dunno, but Tundratown restaurants always have something good.”

“I could go for a clover burger.”

“Alright, lets go.”

They headed to a small pop-up stand in the center of the market, and ordered from the arctic fox running it. Robbie got a fish sandwich, Rosa got a salad, and Lucia got a clover burger. They sat at a bench and ate. 

Rosa was happy. She was amongst friends, she was doing well in school, and she was going to marry the love of her life. She could only think of one thing that could’ve ruined her mood, but it was guaranteed not to happen. She nearly spit out her food when she heard Robbie speak. He was looking at his phone, presumably the news, and he read out the last thing she had expected to happen.

“Huh, says here that there was a break-out from Outback Island, y’know, that prison. A few dozen people escaped, and apparently they were all connected to the conspiracy a while back.”

Rosa pulled her phone out of her pocket so quickly she almost dropped it. Sure enough, there was a breaking news notification from the ZNN app. She clicked on it, shakily. She was taken to a video of Peter Moosebridge at his familiar desk. She pressed play.

“Good afternoon, Zootopia. I’m afraid we have bad news for you today. Several inmates have managed to escape from the infamous prison known as ‘Outback Island’. It may be too early to tell, but all of them seem to have ties to Dawn Bellwether and her ‘Savage Conspiracy.’ Notable names of escapees include Bellwether herself, Doug Ramses, Woolter Hooftonne, Jesse Whiteman, Jack Rhina, and Arthur Deerborn. Stay tuned to-”

She shut off her phone with a gasp. Robbie and Lucia had leaned over to look at her phone, and they were beginning to grasp the situation, and what it meant to her.

“Was that-”

“My father, yes it was.”

She sat in silence while her friends bickered about what had happened, and what was going to happen. Rosa only had room to think about her father, though. Sure, he had been ousted as the CEO, but he still had connections within the conglomerate. Connections that would be all too willing to help him in order to gain profit. She began to wonder if he would use those connections to hurt her mother, or herself, or Milo. She began to panic. She knew that he had hired someone to do that kind of work before when smaller businesses refused to join the conglomerate, so he definitely wasn’t above that kind of thing. She came back to reality when she heard Lucia and Robbie bickering.

“What? You really think that Bellwether is gonna do the same thing again?”

“I definitely wouldn’t put it past her. She’s evil, and smart.”

“If she were smart she’d go into hiding for the rest of her life, not risk it again!”

Robbie produced a twenty-dollar bill from his jeans.

“Twenty bucks says she doesn’t come out of hiding.”

“You’re on, catboy.”

Rosa wasn’t hungry anymore. She dumped her bowl in a nearby trash can, and dialed Milo’s number.

Milo was eating a tuna sub in the plant’s break room when he got a call. He usually ignored them after looking at who was trying to reach him, but he was surprised to see Rosa calling him. They didn’t talk often during work and school, so he was instantly alert. Putting his sandwich down, he accepted the call.

“Hey, what’s up?”

“Turn on the news.”

“What?”

“Just do it!”

He set his phone down and called out to a coworker in the break room.

“Hey Eleazar, put the news on!”

The tapir switched the break room’s tv from the sports channel it was previously tuned to onto ZNN, and Milo had to watch for a minute before he saw what Rosa was so concerned about. A headshot of her father, along with several other mammals, was displayed on the screen, with the anchor’s voice in the background.

“It has been confirmed that all escapees from Outback Island are related to the recent Savage Hoax. It appears that several supporters of Ex-Mayor Bellwether broke into the prison, extracted a select few inmates, then left over water before the on-duty guards could respond. There is currently a mammal hunt in progress by the Coast Guard, but the missing inmates are not expected to be found anytime soo-”

Milo had tuned out. If the only escapees were connected to Bellwether, it had to have been a planned breakout. And that meant that her father was involved in something. He needed to see her. He looked down at his phone, where his fiance was still on the line. He put it back up to his ear.

“Where are you?”

“The West Market.”

“I’m on my way.”

Milo didn’t bother to change out of his scrubs on the way out, he just informed one of the workers to take charge while he was out. He jogged to the parking lot and got in his car. He didn’t know why he needed to go and be with Rosa, he just knew he had to. He sped towards the markets.

Back in the market, it was getting around time for the three friends to return to class.

“Hey Rosa, you coming?”

“I… I’m just gonna sit here for awhile.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah.”

Lucia walked over to her and gave her a quick hug.

“Whatever is happening right now, it’s gonna be alright.”

They shared a smile before Robbie checked the time on his phone.

“Not to spoil the moment or anything, but class starts in ten minutes.”

Lucia gave her a final smile.

“Don’t worry, I’ll take notes for you.”

Rosa sat there as her friends walked away, and she was left to her thoughts.

Three minutes later, Rosa could hear the familiar sound of Milo’s car before she saw it, and moments later he turned around the corner of a nearby building. Stopping next to the sidewalk, he jumped out, locked the door, and walked over to her. She wasn’t sure why he was there, uniform and all, but she didn’t question it when he gave her a hug. It seemed like her troubles melted away when she stared into his amber eyes, and she relaxed at his touch. They stayed that way for a while, before Milo seemed to realize that they were in public.

“C’mon, let’s go. Do you want to go back to class?”

“No, it's too late. I can get the rest of today’s notes from someone.”

“Okay. I don’t know what all of this means, but I’ll take you home.”

They got back in the car, and drove home. Rosa was starting to recover from her panic attack, and she felt terrible. Had she just really made Milo miss half a day of work and taken herself out of class? 

“I’m sorry.”

“What for?”

“I made a mess of things today. I just left halfway through a lecture, and I took you away from your job! All of this over just some news story. I really shouldn’t have overreacted like that, I interrupted both of our days and-”

“No, you didn’t. You have a reason to be scared, and I will always be here for you. Never forget that.”

He put a reassuring paw on her shoulder, before quickly taking it off as he shifted gears. Despite the briefness of the contact, Rosa felt rejuvenated by it, and she was in a considerably better mood by the time they arrived back home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so it begins...


	33. Arthur

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit of a short one today, but it's from a new perspective.

Chapter XXXII, Arthur

Arthur sat in his cell. As he was sentenced to a life term, he had a lot to contemplate. His failures, his successes, and the dirty chompers who had put him in prison. He had been so close to achieving peace and prosperity for Zootopia, making it the shining example of a city for the rest of the world to see, but his dreams had been snuffed out by the pred-sympathetic police force. They were all too narrow-minded to see the end results of his plan, and now he was stuck in this concrete hell with no prospect of escape. He still remembered clearly the day he’d been arrested.

Arthur paced around in his study, watching a ZNN special report on the arrest of Dawn Bellwether. He was outraged, of course, but he tried to keep his cool. The plan could still proceed, even without Bellwether and her thugs. He had the resources and time to execute it without any authorities realizing what he was doing. His hopes were shattered as his butler knocked on the door and spoke.

“Terribly sorry to interrupt, Mr. Deerborn, but there are some gentlemen at the door who claim they are with the police. They say there is a warrant out for your arrest.”

Arthur whirled around as he stood up, looking at the still closed door.

“You didn’t let them in, did you?!”

“I apologize, sir. They have jurisdiction over this property. They are the police, after all.”

A harder and faster knock sounded on the door.

“ZPD! Open up!”

Arthur panicked. Looking around for any sort of escape route, he remembered that the window in this room opened onto the roof. From there, he could make it to the garage, and he could drive away in one of his cars before they knew what was happening. He opened the window, and put a leg outside onto the roof. As soon as he did, he heard a loud thump on the study’s oak door, then another, and then another. He opened the window further and stepped fully onto the roof.

Arthur started running towards the garage roof. He had made it about halfway before he heard the study door splinter open and the police rush in. Turning back momentarily, he saw a white wolf and an antelope, both in blue. He ran faster.

“FREEZE!” shouted the wolf, before firing his taser through the open window at the retreating deer. The electrified barbs almost reached Arthur’s back, but they fell just centimeters short.

“SHIT!” The wolf cried. “GAZA, GET THE CAR!”

The antelope officer ran back through the house. 

Arthur was finally at the garage roof. Jumping down onto the driveway, he went through a side door, into the large building. His half-a-dozen or so cars were all immaculately parked in rows. He opened the door to his Lambborghini and started the engine, hitting the garage door opener as he did so. When the door was open, he gunned the engine and accelerated down the driveway.

He let out a sigh of relief. Sure, he had lost most of his possessions, but he had avoided immediate capture. His relief lasted for all of about five seconds before a police cruiser slammed into the side of his car, sending it skidding off the road and into a tree.

Arthur shook his head, clearing his thoughts of days past. He looked around his cell, looking for something to do. The barred window only had a view of the ocean, and that got boring after a few hours. His bed was a basic cot with a thin mattress on it and there was a stainless steel toilet in the back corner. Far from the luxury he had once enjoyed. He sighed, and leaned back against the wall.

As his back hit the wall, he could feel vibrations in the grey concrete. He shifted his body so that his ear was pressed up against the wall. He could hear some sort of grinding noise.

“What in the-”

The head of a drill smashed up through his cell’s floor, and a gopher stuck his hard-hatted head out.

“C'mon Mr. Deerborn, we don’t have much time!”

“W-what?”

“We’re breaking you and Bellwether out, let’s go!”

He didn’t have to ask twice. As soon as the gopher’s head disappeared into the hole, he followed it.

The tunnel had taken him down into a larger tunnel, and he could see other prisoners already waiting by what appeared to be an exit. He went over to them, and he saw Dawn Bellwether. She turned around, and smirked at him.

“Told you I had a backup plan.”

A rope ladder was thrown down into the tunnel, and the escapees took their turns climbing out. When he exited the escape tunnel, he saw several large boats bobbing up and down next to the island. Not wasting any time, the felons and their rescuers piled in and left, leaving only the tunnel and their tools to be found by perplexed guards.

The boats arrived at a pier deep in the canal district. The prisoners were directed to an abandoned warehouse, where they were surprised to find some of their belongings in suitcases and backpacks. Arthur found one of his tailored suits, and put it on, along with his watch. Then, the former inmates were ushered into the building’s basement.

The warehouse was, in fact, not as abandoned as it looked from the outside. Inside, Arthur could see what looked like a massive laboratory of some kind, and some of Bellwether’s thugs were being called aside and were already taking station at some of the tables. He could see vials and beakers of purple liquid bubbling in chemistry stands.

When the rest of the prisoners had been directed to their stations, Bellwether beckoned to Arthur and led him into some sort of office. He took a seat in a chair across from the ex-mayor’s desk.

“Nice of you to join us, Arthur. Let’s get down to business, shall we?”

“What business is there to do?”

“Since the ZPD and most of the prey mammals in the city are too idiotic to see the truth about predators, plan a has failed. It's time to execute plan b.”

A wicked smile grew on Arthur Deerborn’s muzzle. He was going to enjoy this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The plot thickens...


	34. Plans

Chapter XXXIII, Plans

Rosa sat in class. It was a familiar situation to what she found herself doing months ago, the only difference was that it was the last day of school for the year. Five months had passed since the escape from Outback Island, and the city had moved on to more interesting things. Rosa still had a nagging voice in the back of her head that warned her of her father’s intentions, but she could easily push it down as she finished the semester off. The professor had given them a free day, so Rosa sat with Robbie and Lucia, who were deep in a discussion of their plans for the summer.

“Really? A vacation in the meadowlands?”

“Yes, a vacation in the meadowlands. My whole family lives there, and I want to see them and tell them how I’ve been doing.”

“What about you, Robbie?”

“I really don’t have any plans for the summer. I’m definitely not going to see my parents, and I don’t really have the money to travel. The only family I talk to anymore is my cousin Tao, but he’s on the other side of the planet. I guess I’ll just sit at home and collect dust.”

“If that’s the case, why don’t you come with me to Ovisville. I’d like some company to distract me from my family, they can be grating at times.”

Robbie looked confused.

“Are-are you sure? I mean, I don’t want to intrude or anything…”

“Yes, I’m sure. And don’t worry about intruding, my family has guests over all the time! It’ll be fun!”

“Oh, okay. Then I guess I can go.”

Lucia smiled and pulled the puma into a tight hug, which he returned after looking around to see nobody was watching. Rosa saw them hold the hug for a little more than two friends would, and they let go and sat back in their seats, blushing. She didn’t say anything.

Milo wasn’t too sure what he was going to do over the summer. Rosa would be home for two months, but he had to work year round. He was concerned that she would get bored at home over the summer without him. He’d have to ask her if she wanted to do anything specific. Maybe they could go and see her mother. He knew that Laurel Deerborn had taken over the estate after her husband’s imprisonment, and they hadn’t talked in months. He thought it would be beneficial to the mother and daughter to see each other again.

Rosa checked her phone for the third time that minute. Three fourteen PM. One minute to go. Robbie and Lucia had left minutes earlier, but she wanted to stay just in case the professor had anything to say as they left. The clock struck three fifteen, and the class stood up and walked to the exit doors. Rosa left, but she wanted to say bye to Robbie and Lucia first. She walked towards the stairwell, where they usually hung out in-between classes. Not wanting to disturb the almost perfect quiet, she opened the door to the stairs quietly. She could barley conceal her gasp of surprise. Lucia was leaning on the wall, and Robbie was leaning over her. Their muzzles were connected, and Rosa could see their paws and hooves caressing each other’s bodies. She closed the door softly, and walked towards the main exit.

The tram was full of students eager to get home, and Rosa was among the last ones off. The stop had recently moved to the block next to the apartment building, so she only had to walk for a minute or two to get home. As usual, she was home first, and she flopped down on the couch and waited.

Milo saw the clock in the control room tick over to five PM.

“Shift’s over, let’s hand it off.”

The mammals in the room filed out and changed back into their day clothes. Milo hadn’t seen Nigel that day, but it wasn’t that abnormal, so he wasn’t concerned. The coyote got back in his car, and drove home to his waiting fiance.

When he got back up to room 303, Rosa was still on the couch. He sat down next to her and they shared a quiet moment before speaking.

“How did it go today?”

“Same old, same old. How about you? Happy to be on break?”

“Absolutely.”

“I know the feeling.”

Milo’s comment made Rosa stop and think. Milo had to have gone to college to learn how to operate a reactor, but he had never mentioned where he’d gone.

“Milo?”

“Yeah?”

“Where did you go to college?”

“Well, I originally was at the Central Zootopia Energy College, but after my second year I left.”

“Left? Were your grades not good enough?”

“Actually, no. My instructors said I had a talent for the engineering part of atomic science, and I was given a job.”

“A job? Right out of college?”

“Yep! I served as an engineer’s assistant on one of those nuclear-powered icebreakers up north for two years. I eventually left, though.”

“Why did you leave?”

“Too many rules and regulations, y’know. The captain was very understanding, however, and he even wrote me the letter of recommendation that landed me my current job.”

“Why haven’t you told me this before?”

Rosa internally cringed. She didn’t mean to come off as rude and nosy, but she had.

“Not to say that I’m mad, but I’m just curious.”

“I just never thought it was necessary to bring up.”

Rosa had to take a minute to digest this new information. Milo had been on a ship in the arctic? Looking at him, she saw nothing to indicate he was cut out for that kind of work, but she knew that looks could be deceiving. She was curious what he looked like then, though.

“Do you have any pictures or anything like that?”

“Sure, follow me.”

Milo walked to the study, and pulled down a shoebox off the top of one of the wall shelves. In it were several photos, all of which looked at least five years old, and an assortment of pins and badges. Milo took out one of the photos and showed it to her. It was of him, in a heavy uniform coat standing on the deck of a ship, surrounded by miles of flat ice. He was standing among a few other mammals, all wearing some kind of cold-weather outfit.

“That’s me and the engineering team. I was the youngest, and Burt up there was the oldest. I was eighteen, and he was in his late forties.”

Rosa glanced up to the polar bear Milo was talking about. He was old, in a coast guard parka.

“The rest of us were twenty to twenty-five. We kept everything running.”

“What was the ship doing?”

“We cleared paths for all the merchant ships up there, and supplied the research stations way up north. It wasn’t as boring as it sounds, I could sit and watch the ice for hours when I had time to kill. That’s where I got my affinity for living in the cold.”

He pulled another photo out of the box. This one was of a ship which she assumed was the one he spent time on.

“That’s the Orel. I spent a year of my life on that ship.”

“Did you enjoy it?”

“Yeah, I guess I did. The reactor technicians didn’t have much to do when everything was working properly, so we’d just hang out with passengers most of the time. Some of the people up there had some interesting things to talk about.”

“Like what?”

“Mostly old sailing stories and arctic trivia. Most of our passengers were scientists destined for the research stations up there.”

Milo pulled the final photo out of the box. This one was of what Rosa assumed was the bow of the ship breaking through ice. Milo was standing next to it, striking a pose.

“We would spend about six months each year keeping all the sea lanes clear, and the rest of the year we would spend in port. We’d occasionally help out the coast guard when they needed something bigger than a cutter.”

Rosa nodded.

“Well, that’s certainly a surprise. I had no idea.”

“I don’t tell many people.”

Milo put his box back up on the shelf, and they retired to the couch. Milo then remembered the idea he’d had at work.

“Say, why don’t we go visit your mom this week?”

“My mother? What for?”

“We haven’t seen her a good few months, I think she might be getting lonely up in that mansion of hers.”

“That’s a really sweet idea! I think we should go on Saturday.”

Milo pulled up his phone calendar and made a note of it.

“Saturday it is.”


	35. Laurel

Chapter XXXIV, Laurel

Laurel Deerborn hadn’t been expecting a call from her daughter. It was a Friday morning, and she expected she would be occupied, whether with school or her boyfriend. She picked up the ringing phone.

“Hello?”

“Hello mother! How are you doing?”

“Not bad, not bad. How are you? We haven't talked for months.”

“Oh, a lot of things have happened over the last half-year. I was actually hoping that we could meet up tomorrow night and talk.”

“That sounds wonderful, where would you like to meet?”

“There’s a restaurant not far from the estate, do you want to meet over dinner?”

“That sounds excellent, what time should I be there.”

“Six. I’ll text you the address.”

She hung up and waited for her daughter to text her. The restaurant wasn’t too fancy, which she was grateful for. It would be nice to get away from the monotony of the estate, at least for an evening. She relaxed back into her chair before hearing a knock at the front door. She had no employees currently on payroll, so it was up to her to maintain the entire mansion. She sat up and walked to the entryway. She could see what looked like four shadows from beyond the frosted glass, and she opened the door to four mammals, all clad in black. The largest among them, a deer buck, addressed her.

“Laurel Deerborn?”

“Yes? Who are you?”

“Your husband has requested your presence.”

Laurel tried to run back into the house, but several strong arms held her back, and a chemical-soaked rag was held in front of her nose until she passed out.

“Alright boys, let’s load her up. Boss says that he wants her back with no injuries.”

The three other mammals nodded, and they put the limp doe into the trunk of a black sedan. They drove off, leaving no evidence of their arrival except tire marks in the gravel driveway.

Rosa put her phone back on the coffee table.

“So? Did she agree?”

“Yes, we’re meeting at the Whitewater Cafe at seven tomorrow.”

“Okay, sounds like a plan.”

They turned their attention back to the documentary they were watching. It was one of the newest ones about the conspiracy. Milo wasn’t really invested in it, but he caught parts of it in-between thinking about other things. Right now, a hornless ram was being interviewed in front of a run-down apartment building. From what he could tell, it was about his point of view of the hoax.

“Well, when the crisis was at its peak, I made a mistake. I gave into the fear and started to distrust my friends and neighbors. Living on Pack Street as the only prey mammal for a few miles was disconcerting, but I eventually overcame that instinctual fear that comes with all of us, and I enjoy my life here. I-”

A black wolfess poked her head through the door in the background, a cigarette poking out of her snout.

“Hey yarnball, we’re having a movie night upstairs. You want in?”

Milo tuned back out. He was glad that Bellwether’s plan hadn’t succeeded. Otherwise, who knows what could’ve happened to the city.

“Milo?”

“Hmmm?”

“Do you want to go for a walk?”

“Sure, why?”

“It’s a nice night, and we have nothing else to do.”

Milo stood up, walking to the door.

“Well then, let’s go.”

The sidewalk was covered in a light snow powder, and the couple walked down to the waterfront, watching the ice floes float with the current. They could see mammals standing on the ice, using the bergs as makeshift boats. They strolled along the railing next to the bay and spoke.

“So, when are we going to get married?”

Milo nearly tripped, only steadying himself on a nearby streetlight. It was such an unexpected question.

“I’m not sure. I’ve never had any kind of experience with this sort of thing. I was thinking we could do it later in the year, but if you want to earlier…”

Rosa stopped to consider his explanation. Truth be told, she hadn’t had any experience either. She had heard that mammals had to be engaged for over six months to marry, and she had also heard that marriage could be done as soon as both parties agreed. She wasn’t sure which source to believe.

“Maybe we could ask your mom?”

“Maybe we should. I’m completely out of my depth.”

They continued down the street.

“I got a summer job.” Rosa said.

“Really? That’s great! Where?”

“The bodega I worked at last summer decided to hire me again. They said I did a good enough job while I was there last year.”

Milo nodded. Things seemed to be alright.

After a minute or two more of walking they entered the docks housing neighborhood. This was the area that gave East Tundratown the reputation it had. The streets were filled with trash, and the alleys were filled with worse. But Milo knew better than to judge people based off of the appearance of their neighborhood. He knew a decent amount of good mammals who lived in run-down areas, and the docks district wasn’t different.

They turned onto 6th street, which would take them back home. Almost as soon as they did, a hoodie-clad figure stepped out of the shadows.

“Hey.”

Milo looked over to the figure. Judging from the shape the jacket took, and the hooves protruding from the sleeves, it was a ram.

“You want some Howler?”

He stopped and turned to the sheep.

“What?”

“Some Howler. Best high of your life, guaranteed. It's made from refined Nighthowler, improves senses and heightens emotions. Shit’s cheap too, five bucks an ounce, and all it takes is an ounce to get you stoned for hours.”

“Yeah, nah. I ain’t into that shit.”

“Aw, c’mon. First sample’s free for new customers. Its especially potent to preds, like yourself.”

The ram took a small vial of fluorescent purple liquid out of his jacket, dangling it in front of Milo.

“No, fuck off. You’re lucky I don’t call the cops on your drug-dealing ass.”

The sheep put the vial back in his pocket with a scowl.

“Your loss, mutt.” He muttered, shuffling back into an alleyway.

Rosa and Milo stared back at him as he retreated and, when he was out of sight, they continued towards home. What they didn’t see was the ram taking a cell phone out of his pocket and dialing a burner phone.

“Boss? Yeah, it's her. She’s got the dog with her as well.”

The voice on the other end of the line softly chuckled, and then abruptly hung up.

The night was uneventful for the pair, and they woke up on Saturday morning to birdcalls outside. Milo rolled himself out of bed and walked into the study, where Marvin’s terrarium was located. The skink seemed to have adjusted to his new life, and he spent most of the time happily snoozing beneath his heat lamp. The glass cage was quite big, and he had the freedom to move about it as he pleased. When Milo approached, the lizard raised his chin to accept some scratches. Milo exited the study and walked back into the bedroom. Rosa was sitting up now, scrolling through her phone. She set it down as he entered.

“Good morning.”

“Morning, my deer.”

Milo crawled back beneath the sheets, and they shared a morning cuddle session for an hour or so before they were both full awake. When they were, they went as a pair to the kitchen to cook breakfast. Rosa, under her coyote’s tutelage, had started to grasp some of the basics of cooking, and she was now in charge of making breakfast on weekends. She decided to make pancakes, as that was one of the only breakfast foods they both enjoyed. Milo plated the food and brought it to their table, and they both ate while contemplating the street below out of their window. The summer sun was shining through the windows, and the usually cold building was a pleasant warm temperature. It was an ideal saturday, and Milo intended to make the most of it.

The pair sat down on the couch, and Rosa started skimming through channels. After settling on a retro sci-fi station, they sunk into the soft fabric and put their arms around one another. It was as if Milo was floating on a cloud. He just had no worries, and it felt great. The reruns of old Star Tracks episodes lasted for hours, and by the time they ended, it was around four or five. Milo stretched his limbs out and yawned. 

“Ain’t it time to get going? You said we’d meet your mom at the cafe around six, right?”

Rosa checked the clock hanging on the wall of the apartment. It was five-seventeen. She knew that the drive was around thirty minutes, and they probably needed to arrive early in case her mother got there earlier than expected.

“Yes, we should get ready.”


	36. Problem

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the lack of updates last week, I was on fall break and my family and I went up north on vacation. Expect normal updates to resume for the foreseeable future!

Chapter XXXV, Problem

The cafe was a fairly long drive away, so they arrived a minute or two late. Looking around the parking lot, Rosa couldn’t see her mother’s car, or her mother. Milo pulled into a parking space. They got out, and waited for Laurel to arrive.

Five minutes passed, and Rosa was starting to realize something was wrong. It wasn’t like her mother to show up late and not at least call or text. She turned to Milo.

“Should I call her?”

“Go ahead, can’t do any harm.”

She pulled out her cell and dialed her mother. The phone rang once, twice, three times, then defaulted to an answering machine. She tried again with the same result.

“Milo?”

“Hmmm?”

“I think something’s wrong.”

“What makes you think that?”

“My mother hasn’t answered any calls, and it's not like her to ignore something like that.”

Milo stroked his chin in thought.

“Want to go drive out to the estate to see if she’s okay?”

Rosa nodded.

They got back into the car, and drove out to the meadowlands. The gate to the manor’s driveway was closed, but Rosa knew the code that unlocked it. Milo drove down the gravel driveway and into the main parking area. WHile they drove, they didn’t see the group of mammals 

Rosa could immediately tell that something was wrong. For starters, the front door was wide open, which never happened. Second, her mother’s car was still in the driveway. Third, Laurel still wasn’t returning her calls. She stepped out of the car and walked towards the door, Milo in tow. She saw nothing out of place in the hallway, and upon inspecting the rest of the manor, there was no sign of forced entry or a struggle of any kind. She was perplexed. Why would her mother just get up and walk out, leaving the door wide open? Milo came back from his inspection of the second floor and looked around, perhaps expecting to see something he had missed before.

“Anything?”

“Nothing.”

“Should we call the cops?”

Milo pulled out his phone, but before he could call the police, they heard a floorboard creak from the entryway. They rushed out into the hallway, and saw nothing. Milo took his phone back out to dial nine one one.

“What was th-” 

Rosa’s question was cut off by a cloth bag being pulled over her head. Milo, still dialing the police, looked up at the noise and had his phone knocked out of his paw by someone. He caught a glimpse of a familiar goat before his vision was obscured by cloth. He kicked and struggled, but there were strong arms holding him down, and he stopped struggling as he realized all it would do was tire him out. Rosa stopped as well, and he could feel something cold and hard press against the small of his back.

“Walk forward.” A voice said. He did as he was told, and he soon felt the breeze on his fur as he exited the building. He tripped, not being familiar with the stone steps up to the door, and fell down onto the gravel driveway. He could hear multiple voices laughing as he picked himself back up. Then, he heard a car door open.

“In.”

He was pushed into whatever car had been brought up the driveway, and he felt Rosa being pushed into the seat next to him. He heard guns being loaded and safeties being turned off.

“You hear that? Put one toe out of line and you get it blown off.”

Milo believed the threat, and they rode to wherever they were going in silence. When the car stopped and the door opened, Milo could smell the sea and traces of industrial smog. It was considerably warmer than Tundratown, so that meant it could only be one place.

“Canal District.” He muttered low enough so that only he could hear it.

They were taken at gunpoint into what Milo assumed was an abandoned warehouse. The canal district had been on the decline ever since the city started using faster means of transport than ships and barges, so there were many buildings in a state of disrepair. They were escorted through the building, and Milo could hear the sound of many mammals working on something. He heard a door swing open, then a voice spoke.

“Ah, excellent. Take the mutt to the cell, leave her with me.”

Milo couldn’t put his finger on it, but he had heard the voice before. Rosa recognized it better than he did, because it had been omnipresent in her life. Her blood froze, and her heartbeat quickened.

“This can’t be happening, this can’t be happening, this can’t be-”

Milo, upon hearing her panicked whisper, tried to go and comfort her, but he was pushed back by someone. He tried again, and his arm was grabbed by a pair of hooves. He tried to fight against them, eventually breaking free, but he was grabbed around the waist. He struggle more until a chemical-soaked cloth was placed over the mouth area of the bag covering his head, and he fell unconscious. 

Rosa heard the struggle, but she was powerless to help her fiance. She heard him being dragged away, and then she was blinded as the bag was suddenly removed. She now stood face-to-face with Arthur Deerborn.

“Hello, daughter.”

Whoever was restraining her let go, and she stumbled forward, into her father’s arms. He tried to give her a hug, but she pulled away, drawing a scowl from the stag.

“My dear, that is now way to greet your fathe-”

Rosa drew back her hoof and slapped Arthur as hard as she could. The hooves restraining her immediately seized her arms, and she felt cable ties being wrapped around her wrists, limiting her movement. The buck hunched over and rubbed the already red area of his cheek where the hit had connected. He stood back up and glared daggers at his daughter.

“If that is how you feel, so be it. I don’t need you to go through with my plan. Take her to the basement.”

The hooves that had seized her started to drag her towards a door set in the east wall of the room. When it opened, Rosa saw that it was a stairwell. They went down the concrete steps, and eventually came down to another door, which opened up onto a dark room. She felt someone cut her wrist restraints, and she was unceremoniously tossed into the room. The door was closed on her she couldn’t see for a few seconds before a fluorescent light buzzed on and her surroundings were illuminated. She stood up with some difficulty, and took a minute to look at her surroundings. There was a cot in the corner, a TV, a bathroom in an alcove, a chair, and a table. The floor was concrete, but there was sparse carpeting scattered throughout the room. All in all, it was just a bit smaller than her and Milo’s room back in Tundratown. She sighed, and sat down in the chair. 

Milo’s conditions were significantly worse. He woke up from his drug-induced sleep to find himself being thrown into some sort of prison cell. There was a stainless steel bed with a foam mattress, and nothing else except for an open toilet and a sink. His hood was removed and he saw who had been carrying him. It was an enormous Rhino, and Milo recognized him as one of the escapees from Outback Island months ago. The large mammal smiled sadistically and laughed before he exited the room. Milo could hear him speak as he left down the hallway.

“Have fun, chomper.”

And with that, he was left to himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading today's chapter! Remember that leaving a comment or kudos is integral towards the motivation of any author. Knowing what people think about their stories is a boon to writers everywhere. Once again, thank you for reading!


	37. Captivity

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm going to be uploading a Halloween special later this month, so stay tuned for that.

Chapter XXXVI, Captivity

The concrete floor of Milo’s cell wasn’t doing his pawpads much good, and the thin layer of foam on the steel cot wasn’t any better. His entire body ached from the four days and nights spent in there, and the occasional beatings that the staff of whatever building he was in would carry out. They didn’t ask for anything, they didn’t demand money or information, it seemed like they just did it for pleasure. They all wore sick grins as they kicked him over and over, then stood him up only to beat him down again. 

He was given the bare minimum of food and water. Every day at dinnertime, a plain bug burga patty would be thrown into his cell, along with one of those small bottles of water. He usually hated anything related to bug meat, but they seemed to be doing their best to starve him, so he desperately ate anything edible they threw his way. There was no sink in the cell, so his paws were starting to collect the grime and dust of the industrial basement. He could occasionally hear conversation through the thick metal door, but only snippets.

“Think it will work?”

“Yeah, dumb chompers won’t know what-”

“Supplies are good, should be-”

“-seems we’re a bit behind schedule-”

From what he could hear, this whole thing was an industrial scale operation of some kind, and it didn’t take a genius to figure out who these mammals were targeting, and why he was being kept like an animal in a cage.

Milo glanced around his cell for what must’ve been the thousandth time since he was thrown in it. As well as having starvation rations and no sense of hygiene, there was nothing to do in the cell except sleep and cry, and he didn’t feel up to doing either at the moment. The walls, ceiling, and floor were all slate grey, and Milo passed his time examining every inch of it. As well as alleviating his boredom somewhat, it also helped him try and think of a method of escape. The building was old, perhaps nineteen-thirties old, and there were some pretty significant cracks in various stages of formation in the walls.

Rosa was experiencing a different kind of agony. Her room, while definitely not luxury, was an order of magnitude more comfortable than Milo’s conditions. She received three good meals a day, and had a sink and television. She would’ve been quite comfortable if it wasn’t for the intercom. Every morning, every afternoon, every night, her father would come over a loudspeaker set in the roof and try to convince her to join whatever insane crusade he was conducting against the predators of Zootopia.

The first night she had stayed in the room, she heard the speaker crackle to life and her father’s voice coming through the old sound system. She still remembered what Arthur had said.

“Good evening, Rosa. I hope you’re doing well. I have done my upmost to make sure that you are comfortable for your stay here. Now, down to business. As you know, I am in league with Dawn Bellwether, who had graciously allowed me to continue collar production in secret, along with her own plan. The work has been slow, but I believe it is about to pay off.”

The television switched on, bringing the doe’s attention to it. A map of Zootopia appeared onscreen, on it were several thousand small red dots. They were all over the city. Rosa wasn’t sure what she was looking at until the intercom crackled to life again.

“This is a map of all of our employed dealers across the city. You might have come across one yesterday, as my intel suggests.”

Rosa remembered the ram who had tried to sell Milo the nighthowler-laced drug, and she wondered what this could have to do with the ex-mayor and her father.

“Now, the drug commonly known as ‘howler’ is not intended to have any side effects. The most it’ll give any mammal is a sense of anger and strength. However, Mayor Bellwether’s team has been working on something.”

The TV screen shifted to a photo of a purple liquid in some sort of test tube.

“This is howler 2.0. It is an almost exact chemical replica of the original savage formula, and we’ve been producing it in tandem with the regular drug. The two are almost indistinguishable from each other. As of right now, we have over one hundred thousand confirmed users of the drug, and we’re going to ship out the 2.0 drug next week instead of the regular.”

Rosa gasped. The savage attacks of the last year had been terrible, but there had been less than a hundred of them, and it was still a miracle nobody had died. One thousand times that, all during the same day, would certainly overwhelm the ZPD and all auxiliary government agencies. Mammals would die in the hundreds, and all for the insane worldview of a few dozen mammals.

“Now, you might be asking yourself ‘why?’. Two reasons. One, I need to put those chompers back in their place once and for all. When the attacks occur next week, we’ll be able to garner support from those still loyal to the true mayor. While the ZPD is overwhelmed with trying to prevent thousands of deaths, we’ll attack city hall and detain the mayor and her cabinet, reinstalling Bellwether. Second reason, money. Once Bellwether’s back in office, she’ll issue an executive degree to relocate all preds to a new prison district on outback island. Fitting, isn’t it? Now, preds are stupid, but they’re still dangerous in numbers. That’s why the mayor is allowing me to reintroduce mandatory collaring. With over a million orders of the new thousand-dollar design, I'll make billions and be well on my way to being the richest mammal in Zootopia.”

A schematic of the ‘Prison District’ appeared on the TV. It was structured like an actual prison, with massive cell blocks and public cafeterias. The whole thing would be surrounded by concrete walls and electrified fences, making escape nearly impossible.

“Y-you’re insane! There’s now way you can keep Zootopia down! The people will stop you!”

Arthur laughed a deeply unsettling laugh.

“My dear, do you not think I’ve planned for this? Over the months since my escape, I’ve been reaching out to my contacts in the arms industry. Being a CEO has its perks. I’ve managed to arm a substantial militia more than capable of cleaning up the savages that the ZPD can’t, and keeping whoever dares to dissent down.”

“N, no.. This isn’t-”

“Oh yes, it is. I will succeed, the only question is whether or not you will join me. Despite your actions today, I’ll still let you come to your senses and see reason. There is no other way out, you WILL become my acolyte. My protege, my successor!”

Rosa walked over to her bed and flopped down on it, putting her pillow over her ears. Despite the fluffy obstruction, she heard Arthur’s sigh of disappointment.

“Very well. I’ll let you decide. You have the rest of your life, after all.”

The intercom clicked off, and Rosa sobbed herself to sleep.

That had been possibly the worst day in her life up to that point, but it would only get worse. 

The next day, the intercom clicked on again, but this time it wasn’t her father that spoke. It was Milo. She bolted upright in her bed and listened intently.

“Oh yeah? Do your worst, shitwad. I’ve been through-”

There was a thud followed by an “Ooof” by Milo. Rosa put a hoof to her mouth and felt herself tearing up. They were beating him, and broadcasting the soundtrack to her. Every yelp of pain, every whine of agony, cut deep into her, and by the time it was over an hour later, she had dampened her pillow with tears. There was nothing she could do, and she felt terrible for it.


	38. Pain

Chapter XXXVII, Pain 

The torture of both mammals continued well into the week, and they were both beginning to break in their own ways. For Milo, it was physical. He was covered in purple and red bruises and he had at least one cracked rib. His left eye was swollen shut as well. Regardless, the beatings didn’t stop. In fact, they seemed to increase in frequency. Every morning he’d be awakened by the slamming of his cell door, and subjected to a morning beating, always with the same four mammals, who he now recognized as the gang who had ambushed him on his way to work all those years ago. They apparently had a score to settle, and settle it they did.

The mental strain Rosa was being placed under wasn’t any more preferable than the physical torture Milo was experiencing. Every morning, noon, and night as she ate her meals, Arthur would come over the loudspeaker and talk to her. Usually he tried to convince her of the righteousness of his cause, but today was different. Today there was another voice.

Rosa was finishing a salad when the intercom crackled on. She braced herself for another round of her father, but to her surprise, and anguish, she heard someone else speak.

“R-Rosa?”

For the first time, Rosa looked up at the speaker and responded.

“Mother? Mother! What’s going on? Where are you!”

Laurel breathed a sigh of relief.

“Oh Rosa! Thank goodness you’re alright! What happened? Why are you here?”

Rosa gathered her sanity and tried to put the past week’s events into comprehensible words. When she was done, her mother sniffled.

“I, I’m so sorry. I got you kidnapped, if it weren't for me maybe you would’ve-”

“Mother, this isn’t your fault. Father’s mammals would’ve found Milo and I eventually, and you’ve probably been through as much as we have.”

At this, Laurel sobbed and a new voice came over the noise.

“I have done my best to make sure you are both treated well, despite my associate’s beliefs. You WILL show me some respect, as a husband and father. Rosa heard a hoof strike flesh and her mother cried out again before weakly saying “Y-yes, husband. Thank you.”

Rosa’s gut twisted itself into a knot. That bastard, that evil bastard was hitting her mother. She involuntarily balled up her hooves into fists. This was as bad if not worse than the beating she could hear Milo receive. 

Her father chuckled.

“That’s more like it. Now, I believe your little reunion is over, so I’ll cut off the audio feed. Enjoy yourselves until dinner!”

The intercom squeaked and buzzed off, leaving Rosa once again in silence.

Milo’s cell was starting to become red with dried blood from the ‘visits’ his captors gave him. The coyote was now barely able to stand from his multiple injuries and near starvation, so all he could do was lay on his bed and wait for them to return. But that morning he was left alone. And the afternoon, and the evening. The time that he was usually fed came and passed with no stale burga patty being thrown into the cell. There was no water either, but Milo was too relieved to care. The torture had stopped, and he drifted off into the most peaceful sleep he’d had in days.

The next day went similarly, with the addition of something strange. One mammal came into the basement he was kept in with a concealed item. The ram nonchalantly dropped a container of something and a regular sized water bottle inbetween the cell bars, and made a zipping motion with his hoof, which made Milo stare at him quizzically as he walked out and closed the heavy door. Milo dragged himself over to the bottle, reading its label, which read ‘Acetaminophen’.

“Painkillers? Why are they giving me painkillers?” He muttered to himself. Then he thought about the sheep’s actions.

“Is he trying to help me? How did he get down here with that without anyone noticing? Why is he working here if he doesn’t think like the rest of them?”

Milo opened up the bottle and shook out a few pills, being sure to make it as silent as he could lest someone notice. He downed them with the entire water bottle, and relief started to wash over him minutes later. It wasn’t anything near the level of relief he’d felt when taking morphine at the hospital, but it was a welcome feeling. Even more welcome was the fact that someone was trying to alleviate his misery. He hid the empty water bottle and the pill container as best he could, and went to sleep.

The days dragged on with Milo receiving no form of nourishment except for the mysterious ram’s daily delivery of a water bottle. The painkillers were doing a miraculous job of keeping him sane, and he wanted to thank his benefactor, but every time when he tried to speak the sheep would shake his head and walk back up the stairs. Milo wanted to ask him for some food, but he also didn’t want to push his luck any further. He just smiled and nodded whenever he was given anything. But he was still worried. The way things were going, he’d starve to death, which wouldn’t be all that bad except he’d never get to say goodbye to Rosa. He re-examined the walls again for some method of escape, but any exploitable flaws were no longer viable due to his weakness.

The situation looked grim, to say the least.

Arthur Deerborn felt as though he was banging his antlers against a cinderblock wall. No matter what he said, threatened, or offered, his daughter and wife refused to see reason. They were too brainwashed to accept predators as their equals. His wife was too far gone to be of any use, but he had a plan to break Rosa. He called up his assistant.

“Joffree, send up a sample of the 2.0. I have an idea.”

A capsule came shooting up the pneumonic tube installed in his office. Upon opening it he found what he had ordered. A small vial of deep purple liquid. He grinned insanely and took an air pistol out of his desk drawer, shoving the vial into a specially designed chamber in the rear. If this didn’t work, nothing would.

Milo’s good mood abruptly came to a halt when he heard hoofsteps coming down the hallway to his cell. Quickly shoving the bottle of painkillers under his mattress, he pretended to be asleep like a child. The door swung open with a bang like usual, and the four mammals that had been torturing him for a week came in. He fully expected another beating, so he was surprised when a bag was thrown over his head again and he was dragged out of the cell. He was taken down flights of stairs and the bag was removed when the group was apparently satisfied with where they had put him. The place he found himself in was like an interrogation room, but without any of the regular interrogation room furniture. The only details of the room were a one-way window and a doorway, which his captors exited. He sat on the cold concrete floor for minutes before he heard someone else being dragged down the hallway. Turning his attention to the door, his heart almost backflipped out of his bruised ribcage.


	39. Violence

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Minor blood warning

Chapter XXXVIII, Violence

It was Rosa. She looked significantly better than him physically, but Milo could smell the total fear and sadness emanating from her. It was obvious she’d been going through her own troubles while he’d been living in constant pain. She stumbled and almost fell when she was pushed into the room. Her beg was removed, and she immediately focused on the coyote. He looked worse than she had anticipated.

His left eye was covered with purple blotches, his shirt and pants had been ripped and bloodstained, his arm was absolutely covered in red spots where it had been twisted, and the rest of his body looked frail and malnourished. She gasped, bile rising in her throat at the mistreatment he had suffered, and fell onto the floor where he sat, embracing him while being careful to avoid his injuries. Milow was too shocked to do anything but gingerly return the hug. They sat there for minutes, simply being overjoyed that they were both alive and together. 

“Rosa please move to the window.”

They looked up at the speaker mounted on a wall above said window. Rosa simply leaned deeper into Milo. A slot opened up in the tinted glass and the unmistakable barrel of a gun pointed out.

“I said move to the window. Don’t make me repeat myself.”

Rosa looked up at the window.

“You won’t shoot me.”

The gun shifted, now pointing at Milo.

“No, but I’ll shoot him.”

Rosa stood up, in front of Milo. She was now the only thing between the window and the coyote.

“Rosa, please.” He whispered from behind her. “Let’s just see what he wants.”

Rosa glanced behind her, then slowly nodded. They stepped towards the window.

“Not you, dog.”

Milo stopped and crossed his arms, before realizing he had a bruised rib and quickly returned them to his side. Rosa stepped up to the window.

“Now, my daughter. I’ll give you one last chance to join me, or else.”

“What could you possibly do to change my mind?”

She heard the gun being taken off safety, and she looked back at Milo.

“If you don’t agree, I’ll shoot him. Not that it’ll be much of a loss for the city.”

Milo’s brow furrowed and he spoke as much to Arthur as he did Rosa.

“Rosa, don’t do it. I may die, but it's worth retaining your ideals in the face of this jackass.”

“But Milo, you’ll die!”

“Perhaps, but you’ll live and you won’t have to give in. It's worth it for me.”

“A-are you sure?”

“Absolutely. I love you, Rosa, and I’ll never stop loving you.”

“Tears streaked down her face as she turned back to the reflective glass.”

“No. I won’t.”

The voice chuckled.

“I thought you would say that. However, this isn’t a normal weapon.”

A whoosh of compressed air accompanied the appearance of a purple blotch on Milo’s neck. He realized what it was, and immediately began to wipe the drug off of him with what remained of his shirt, but it was too late.

“Tsk tsk. You should’ve said yes, now you’re both going to die. A shame, really.”

The gun was retracted and the slit in the glass closed, leaving Rosa alone with the convulsing predator. She rushed over to him.

“Milo! Milo! Snap out of it! This isn’t you!”

“Rrrgh, Rosa, get back, I-”

He trailed off into a deep growl, and his pupils narrowed into slits. Instinctual fear took over, and Rosa ran back to the wall. She watched, powerless to stop it, as her fiance turned into a feral monster. 

The coyote was on all fours now, and he sniffed at the air before noticing the cowering deer. He snarled and began to circle her, body low. She put up her hooves, wanting to defend herself but not wanting to hurt the heavily injured canine. Rosa desperately tried to think of a solution to the situation she was in. She could try to make a break for the door, but even if she managed to make it past Milo, she’d most likely be thrown back in to be mauled. There was nothing she could do.

Milo’s brain was on fire. He couldn't think, he couldn’t speak, he couldn’t do anything except wraith on the floor, attempting to fight the toxin that slowly seeped into his flesh. He felt waves of anger wash over him, addling his brain further, and soon he was completely gone. He stopped squirming as his instincts took full control. He stood up on all fours and sniffed the air. He was so hungry, and he smelt something delicious. Venison. He turned his head towards the other mammal in the room, a terrified looking deer. He started drooling and circled his prey. It would be an easy meal, the deer looked like it didn’t have the strength to fight back. He saw it look for a route of escape, and he pounced.

Rosa screamed.

“MILO! STOP! PLEASE!”

Something cut through the red haze that Milo was experiencing. Something he recognized, something that made him feel warm inside. The deer in front of him had put up its arms to shield itself, and his jaws were centimeters away from its throat. He took a deep breath, taking in its scent. It smelt like a deer, but there was something else.

Rosa opened her eyes as she felt Milo sniffing her. He had stopped just short of her neck, and she could feel the heat of his breath on her fur. She whispered to him.

“M-Milo? Are you there?”

That sound, it felt familiar somehow, as well as the scent. It smelt like a deer, but he could detect something else there as well. He could smell Coyote. He could smell himself. Suddenly, he drew back. The voice, the smell, this was his mate! He instantly closed his mouth and titled his head, wanting to reassure the frightened mammal. He pushed his snout inbetween her arms and nuzzled her affectionately.

Arthur couldn’t believe it. He turned to one of the mammals observing the odd interaction from behind the window.

“What the fuck is this?! Why isn’t it working! The mutt should be ripping her to pieces!”

His assistant, a porcupine, shrugged.

“No idea sir. She should be dead.”

Arthur gritted his teeth, grabbing an actual firearm from a rack on the wall. If his plan didn’t work, he could still kill them himself. He strode out of the safe room and into the interrogation chamber.

Milo jumped a bit as a loud metallic sound startled him. He whipped around to take a protective stance in front of his mate. There was another deer, holding something. Milo didn’t know who it was, but he could detect bad intentions emanating from the carving, amplified by his mate’s rising fear. Milo knew what he had to do.

Meanwhile, Arthur’s assistant was monitoring the outside cameras looking for anything strange. So far, nothing had encroached on the facility except for a few squatters and drug addicts, but they had been taken care of quite easily. Today would be different. The porcupine squinted at the main entrance monitor and reeled back in shock. He saw a faint glimpse of an arm clad in a blue uniform shirt. He abandoned his post and ran downstairs to warn the crew working in the lab, leaving Arthur alone in the interrogation chamber.

Arthur walked towards the couple, assuming the coyote was in a docile state. He aimed a kick at the canine, but to his surprise, Milo gracefully dodged it and circled around back of him, nipping at his heels. Arthur swore and turned around, almost losing his balance. He tried to line up a shot on the snarling canine, but Milo was too quick. He leapt up and sunk his teeth into the deer’s arm, refusing to let go.

“AGH, FUCK! LET ME GO CHOMPER!”

Milo held fast, and he soon tasted blood on his lips, only serving to drive him to bit down harder until he heard and felt something snap.

“AAAAAAAAUGH!”

He had broken the deer’s arm. Instinctually, he let go and took a new angle of attack, this time intending to kill. He leapt onto the still screaming deer’s chest and clamped his teeth around his neck.

“NO! NO! GET OFF! GET OOO-”

Milo clenched his jaw and Arthur’s neck opened up like a sieve, gushing blood onto the floor and walls. Milo kept up the pressure until the deer was lying motionless on the ground. He pulled back, blood dripping off his fangs, and looked down at his kill. His hunger that had been previously suppressed by his mate rose back up with a vengeance, and he once more attacked Arthur’s throat, stripping meat off of it with fervor.

Rosa was too stunned to speak. Her father was either dead or dying, and her fiance had killed him. She had averted her eyes when she saw Milo clamp his jaws around Arthur's neck, but she had to look back when she heard wet ripping and crunching noises. She froze in a mix of relief, terror, and disgust when she saw her father dead on the ground, Milo tearing and swallowing strips of his flesh. She nearly vomited, but managed to keep it down long enough to stand up. Milo was fully concentrating on his meal, so she was able to quietly walk past him into the hallway. She was sure that someone would come and find her father and fiance, and they would both be killed, but the hallway was strangeley quiet. She heard something going on in what she assumed to be the main room of the building they were in. Screaming and air rifle noises were echoing down the stairwell. There was some kind of battle going on. She wasn’t sure whether or not to go out or back into the room, as the ripping and chewing noises were still audible. She debated stopping Milo, but he looked to be on the brink of passing out from hunger before, and she didn’t want to get between him and ‘food’. So, she sat and waited for something to happen.


	40. Liberation

Chapter XXXIX, Liberation

The noise upstairs continued for minutes on end before Rosa heard steps coming down the concrete steps. She looked up at whoever was coming down, silently hoping it was a ZPD officer.

It was. A wolf clad in T.U.S.K. body armour and with a tranquilizer rifle ran into the concrete hallway. He aimed his rifle at Rosa.

“FREEZE! HANDS ON THE- wait”

He lowered the rifle.

“Are you Rosa Deerborn?”

“Yes, what’s going on?”

The wolf sighed in relief.

“Oh thank fuck. We received an anonymous tip off about an hour ago about a terrorist cell located here that corresponded with the missing mammal cases we’d opened on several mammals last week. Do you know where any others are?”

Rosa pointed to the door a few feet behind her.

“There’s, um, something going on in that room.”

“Is there a problem?”

“Ummm, maybe.”

The officer walked to the door and peered through the reinforced plexiglass.

“Oh shit, is that a savage?”

“Yes, my fiance.”

The wolf looked back.

“Really?”

“Yes.”

The canine peered back into the room.

“You mind telling me why he’s eating a deer?”

Rosa sighed and embarked on the short version of the time she had spent in her pseudo-prison and what had happened in the last half-hour. The wolf officer listened, nodding his head when he was done. Soon, several more officers had arrived to see what was going on. The wolf returned to look through the door’s window.

“Well, we’ll have to go in there and tranquilize him.”

The officer raised his rifle again and prepared to break down the door, signaling to the rest of his squad to wait in the hall. Rosa stopped him.

“Wait, let me do it. He knows me. He trusts me.”

The wolf raised a brow.

“You sure? He seems pretty angry.”

Rosa looked through the window into the room. Her father’s corpse was laying on the ground, a puddle of blood enveloping what was left of him. Milo was pacing back and forth along the back wall, blood drying on his muzzle which was in a half snarl. As the wolf officer said, he looked quite agitated.

“Yes, I’m sure.”

The officer looked back to his squad.

“Ramirez, give me one of those sedation needles.”

A dall sheep came forward and handed the wolf a syringe. The wolf, in turn, handed it to Rosa.

“If something goes wrong, just scream or something. We’ll be watching.”

Rosa nodded and slowly pushed open the door, as not to startle the savage coyote. Milo looked up and snarled at the door, but stopped when he realized who it was. His tail wagged and he came trotting over to Rosa, who kneeled down.

“Milo? Is that you?”

Milo whined and pushed his muzzle into her arm. She petted his head, being careful to avoid his bruised left eye and the blood spots. He closed his good eye and leaned into the petting. She slowly took out the syringe with her right hoof as she pet him with her left. In one fluid movement, she stuck it into his neck and pushed down the plunger, injecting him with full-strength sedatives. He yelped and drew back, but before he could do anything else, he started swaying and eventually fell down on his side. Rosa stood up and walked over to him, picking him up gingerly. He was already asleep.

The wolf couldn’t believe his eyes.

“What in the fuck was that?” He said, turning to one of his officers. The dall sheep next to him shrugged.

“Dunno sir. They really must be fiances.”

The wolf opened the door for Rosa as she carried the unconscious canine out. She walked up the stairs in a sort of trance. The torment was over. Her father was dead. Milo was injured, but fine, and so was she. Things were going to be alright.

She hadn’t noticed she was in front of the open doors until the sun hit her face. It was so bright and warm, she had forgotten what it felt like. Temporarily blinded, she took a second to re-adjust her eyes to the scene before her. There were several dozen squad cars and even a few T.U.S.K. armored vans on the scene, along with a smattering of ambulances and a ZPD mobile command truck could be seen in the background. A line of convicts could be seen being filed into the back of a paddy wagon, including Bellwether herself. The ewe looked less than pleased with the outcome of the day as she was being escorted by two small officers who were joking back and forth between themselves. 

Rosa turned her attention to the nearest ambulance, which looked to have nobody in it. She approached it and one of the paramedics turned to look at her.

“Are you two some of the civilians that got kitnapped?”

Rosa nodded.

“Yes.” She said, extending her arms holding Milo. “He needs medical attention.”

The snow leopard looked down at the coyote and turned towards two of his co-workers who were looking at a clipboard near them.

“Alright boys, we got another injury. Minor lacerations, heavy bruising, possible cracked rib. Let’s get him back to a hospital.”

The paramedics nodded and Rosa set Milo down on a stretcher, which was then loaded onto the ambulance. She climbed onboard, but something was nagging her. She and Milow were alright, but what about her mother?

“Wait! Hold on a second!”

Rosa and the three paramedics looked around to see Laurel Deerborn supported by a police officer.

“I’m coming too!”

Rosa nearly fell back out of the ambulance and ran towards her mother, who caught her in an embrace. She was leaning heavily on Rosa, and she was taking care to not bump her leg up against everyone. They cried into each other's shoulders before Rosa remembered that Milo was still injured and unconscious.

“Mother, Milo needs to get to a hospital. Are you going to ride with us?”

Her mother wiped away her tears.

“Yes, I probably need someone to check up on my leg anyways. Your father did quite a number. By the way, where is the scumbag? I’d like to give him a piece of my mind.”

Rosa looked down nervously.

“I’ll, uh, tell you on the way.”

“Very well. Now, if you could help me up?”

Rosa offered a hoof to her injured mother, and guided her to her seat in the ambulance. Once the driver was sure they were secure, they started towards the hospital.

“So, what happened?” 

Rosa told her story for the second time that day. Her mother looked down with pity at the damaged canine when Rosa got to the part about how she heard Milo’s beatings, and she looked surprised when Rosa started explaining the events of that morning.

“He darted Milo? Then how did you…”

“I-I think he recognized me, mother. He was about to go for my throat, but he stopped, like he had realized something. That’s when father came in and tried to finish us off with a gun.”

“Well? I assume something happened to him.”

“Milo killed him.”

Laurel gave a small noise of surprise and looked at Milo’s bloodstained muzzle.

“Why? I thought you undid the serum’s effects?”

“I think he recognized father as a threat. He was waving a pistol around and yelling, so it must’ve set something instinctual off.”

Laurel nodded and they stared at the sleeping canine for the rest of the ride to the hospital.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As we pass 50k words and near 1800 hits, I just want to profusely thank each and every one of you. Originally, this was just a method for me to blow off some steam and put ideas down on 'paper', but I now have an audience that I believe enjoys my story. My motivation to write has skyrocketed with all of your incredible comments. Thank you all so much, and stay tuned.


	41. Shock

Chapter XL, Shock

The hospital room was stark white, and his bed was a cloud compared to the mat he’d been sleeping on. The change of scenery had done wonders for his injuries, and Milo already felt an order of magnitude better, but something was troubling him. He didn’t know how he got here. There was a few-hour gap in his memory where his apparent escape from the warehouse had occurred, but he’d been up for a few minutes and he still couldn’t think hard enough to recall. His head felt alright, so it couldn't be some sort of brain damage induced amnesia. Maybe he was sedated? He couldn't tell.

What was worse than his lack of memory was the lack of a certain deer. Rosa was nowhere to be found, and Milo was worried that she’d somehow been injured during the gap in his mind. He tried to get up and out of bed, but his body felt completely exhausted, and the best he could manage was a weak half-roll that didn’t move him anywhere. He sighed, and relented. He’d just have to wait for his strength to come back. 

Rosa was sitting in her mother’s hospital room. Laurel’s leg was in a bad way, and she was told she’d have to use a cane for the rest of her days, which wasn’t that bad considering what could’ve happened. Rosa came out of the matter physically unscathed, but the emotions that had been kept back by the sheer shock of the past day were coming down on her, wave after wave.

She first experienced grief. Not for her father, as she thought the only good thing to come out of that whole experience was his death, but for Milo. Not only had he been physically abused for days, but he had lost control of his body. Rosa didn’t like to think of what he had done while under the influence of nighthowler, and she wasn’t sure how she was going to break it to him. She hadn’t even told her mother, the most she’d revealed was that Milo had killed Arthur while savage. Ony her, the officers that were in the basement that day, and whoever had performed the autopsy on the stag’s corpse knew what had happened, and she wasn’t sure if she wanted to keep it that way. Milo deserved to know what had happened, but she didn’t know if she had the strength to tell him.

Milo lay in his bed for hours, just thinking. He tried to remember what had happened with no luck, even trying a memory technique or two. The most he could remember was being dragged out of bed last morning, and even that was shrouded in a haze.

“Uuuuuhg.”

Milo shifted in his bed, trying to get to a more comfortable position, but he felt restless no matter what he did. Rosa was still missing. He had pressed the call button several times, but the doctor that had come in told him nothing of what had happened, despite his protests. So he was left alone.

Milo shot up in the bed as the door opened, he hadn’t called a doctor this time. He was disappointed when Rosa didn’t enter, but a familiar sheep did.

“You?”

The sheep that had saved his sanity nodded and smiled, then spoke in a west Meadowlander accent.

“Me. How’re you feeling, my friend?”

Milo got into a more comfortable sitting position.

“I’m doing pretty good, considering.”

“Ah, very good. I’m glad you feel sane.”

“All thanks to you. By the way, why didja do it?”

“You mean help you? I was never invested in Dawn’s whole idea of ‘supremacy’. I really had no choice but to go along with her. She is my little sister, after all.”

“Wait, you’re-”

“Bernard Bellwether.”

The sheep extended a hoof, which Milo grasped and shook.

“Huh, I didn’t expect that.”

“Nobody did. That’s why nobody was suspicious of me, even after I called the ZPD and tipped them off about our operation.”

“That was you?”

“Yes, it was. And not a second too soon, if I do say so myself. They were about to start distributing the new drug when the police broke down the front door. The city was quite close to a crisis.”

“Well, thanks for doing the right thing in the end.”

“While that is true, I still was heavily involved in this plot as well as the nighthowler hoax. I have to serve my time, just like anyone else. In fact, there’s an officer right outside now.”

“But, you did the right thing! You put a stop to the whole operation.”

“Which is why the city’s lightening my sentence. Two years is the minimum for crimes as severe a smine, and I might even get a shot at one year with parole. It's not too bad, and less than I deserve for not stopping this whole mess sooner.”

Milo nodded. The ram was right, of course, but it still didn’t feel right for the mammal that had saved thousands of lives to go to jail. 

“I, suppose that’s fair…”

The ram smiled, and Milo smiled back.

“Well, anyways, thanks for the help back there. I think that was the only thing that was helping me not go insane.”

“You’re very much welcome, my friend. Now, I must go. I have an appointment with a city jail.”

The ram left, leaving Milo yet again in silence. 

Rosa was in the waiting area, getting her third cup of coffee for the hour, when a doctor walked into the room.

“Are you Milo Latras’s next of kin?”

Rosa considered that. The only family he’d mentioned was his uncle, and he said that they didn’t talk anymore. She supposed he was the closest thing he had to family besides Nigel.

“Yes, is something wrong?”

“No, it's just that he just woke up an hour ago.”

“WHAT?”

The doctor flinched back, obviously not expecting this sort of response. 

“WHY DIDN’T YOU TELL ME THEN?!”

“Miss, we had to evaluate his mental state before we allowed visitors, as you know he was drugg-”

“YES I KNOW! I WAS THERE! LET ME SEE HIM!”

“I, uh, okay, follow me.”

The doctor led her to a room down the hall, and knocked before entering. Milo looked better than he had last time he was in a hospital bed, but Rosa still wasn’t able to stem the tears welling up in her eyes.

“Rosa! You’re ok!”

She nearly fell down into him, only steadying herself when she remembered his injuries and her weight relative to him, especially since he had been starved for a week. She hugged him as tightly as she dared, and he hugged back with all the strength he was able. Neither of them wanted to let go again, but Rosa eventually forced herself back.

“What, what happened? I can’t remember anything and nobody’s told me shit”

Rosa sighed.

“You were drugged. With nighthowler.”

“I was WHAT?!”

Rosa explained the events leading up to Arthur’s demise.

“So, I recognized you?”

“That must’ve been what happened. You seemed to recognize my smell.”

“Huh, that’s weird. Well, what happened when your dad came in with a gun?”

“You, uh, umm- kind of, er, killed him.”

Milo’s eyes widened. 

“I, killed him?”

“Yes.”

“Rosa, holy fuck, I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean t-”

“Milo, you need to know that I don’t blame you in the slightest. He brought this on himself, and you saved both of us.”

Milo still looked mortified, but Rosa’s reassurances dampened the blow to his psyche. While he was coming to terms with the fact that he had killed someone, Rosa was having his own internal crisis. She didn’t want to tell him, he was already emotionally compromised enough, and information like that could be enough to drive him insane with guilt. But, he needed to know. Maybe she’d tell him later.

“Am, am I going to jail?”

Rosa was surprised. Surely, Milo didn’t think he was responsible.

“Milo, he’s the one that drugged you. You were out of your mind, not to mention he was pointing a gun at us.”

“But, if I recognized you, I should’ve known not to kill him. I could’ve just as well disarmed him, and-”

“No, you couldn’t. That drug made you lose control, responsibility is completely out of your paws.”

“I, I-”

Rosa leaned back in for another hug, this time cocooning Milo in herself. The coyote started crying, coming to terms with the whole sequence of events. Here he was, injured, yes, but alive and well. Rosa was fine, and the torment was at an end. Tears of joy mingled with ones of sorrow and regret.


	42. Friends

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter includes several OCs that belong to other authors and creators in the Zoot community. If you can name all of them, you win a cookie or something.

Chapter XLI, Friends

Milo’s hospital stay was much shorter than his previous one, but he was instructed to report back every week for a psychological evaluation. It was a good policy for the hospital to have, considering his state. He’d never stopped thinking about what he’d done. He’d killed someone. He was a murderer.

“Milo, you’re not a murderer.”

“But, I killed someone!”

“It was in self defense, and you were out of your mind!”

Rosa, no matter how hard she tried to convince him of his innocence, Milo sunk deeper into a rut. The only thing he seemed happy about was her, and her mother’s, safety. Laurel’s leg had healed, but she would walk with a limp and a cane for the rest of her life.

Milo, clutching Rosa’s hoof like it was his only anchor to the ground, walked out of the Tundratown Central Hospital for the second time that year. He took a deep breath, and the cold air filled his lungs as the sun shone down through the thin clouds. He smiled for the first time since he had seen Rosa was safe. The doe looked down at him and smiled back.

“Things are going to be fine.”

Milo nodded, and they walked forward together. Milo then realized something.

“Uuuh, how are we getting home?”

Rosa pulled out her phone.

“I have an idea.”

Soon, a white and black taxi was pulling around the corner.

“Wait, is that-”

“Hey you two! What’re you doing back at the hospital?”

Walt was leaning out of the driver’s side window, grinning ear to ear.

“Walt! Good to seeya!”

“You too, now get in before ya freeze to death!”

They got in the backseat of Walt’s cab.

“Thanks for picking us up on such short notice, Walt.”

“Ain’t a problem, you two are my favorite customers. Now, tell me what’s been happening.”

This time, Milo was the one to explain what had happened, excluding what he knew about Arthur’s killing. Rosa shifted uncomfortably. She’d have to tell him soon, or else she wouldn’t be able to work up the nerve.

“Ho-lee shit. You’ve been through a dose of pain huh?”

“I guess you could say it like that. At least we’re mostly fine now, right Rosa?”

Rosa snapped out of her thoughts.

“Yes, we are.”

The taxi drove deeper into Tundratown, and someone saw it pass. The mammal watched it go by from an alleyway and put a radio up to its muzzle.

“Yeah, it's them. Be prepared.” 

The drive time to the apartment was mostly taken up by Milo’s recounting of events, and they soon reached the familiar building.

“Well, it seems like you two need a looong break after all that, anything I can do for ya?”

“No thank you Walt. You’ve done more than enough already, thank you.”

“Weren't no thing, you take care now!”

He drove off, letting the couple gather their thoughts and enter the building. Inside, something was waiting for them. Milo Opened the lobby door to a strange darkness.

“What’s goi-”

The fluorescent lights buzzed on, blinding them for a second before they saw Jorge, the polar bear landlord, along with half a dozen of their neighbors standing around a table. There was a banner hanging from the ceiling that read “Welcome Home!”

Milow as stunned. Sure, he knew that everyone living in 260 Drift Street was nice, as the landlord didn’t allow anyone who was going to be rude, but he never expected them to care enough to throw a welcoming party.

“Surprise!”

Milo could barely keep the tears down, but he managed to, and after a few seconds of emotional turmoil, he managed to speak.

“I, uh, guys-”

Most of the group moved forwards and wrapped them in a group hug, and Jorge nearly lifted them all off the ground.

Milo returned the hug to as many mammals as he could, as did Rosa. They were not alone. There were people that cared for them and wanted to see them safe, even if their day-to-day interactions consisted of waving to each other from down the hallway or seeing them in the lobby, waiting for a bus. The fact that all these mammals he barely knew would come together to do this reassured him that things were going to be just fine.

“Thank you.” He whispered.

The hug lasted until it became uncomfortably hot in the center of the pile, and everyone let go, letting Milo and Rosa breathe. Milo took the time to look at his neighbors. A snow leopardess, two giant rabbits, a german shepard, a fox, and a lynx. Milo had seen all of them around the building, some more than others, but he now saw his neighbors in a new light. They weren’t just neighbors, they were friends. But that wasn’t all.

They hadn’t noticed before, but there were more than just their neighbors standing in the lobby. Looking down, Rosa noticed three smaller mammals.

“Flo? Jenny? Nigel?”

The squirrel, opossum, and ferret grinned and came forward.

“What’re you doing here?”

Nigel spoke for the group.

“C’mon, you don’t think that you're neighbors organized this all themselves, do you? We figured that you’d need some sorta pick-me-up after that whole fiasco.”

“Well, you thought right. Honestly, I wasn’t expecting everyone to be concerned about us like that.”

One of the giant rabbits spoke up.

“Hey, don’t even mention it. You’re our neighbor, and where I’m from, neighbors help each other out!”

A few mammals nodded.

“Wow, I, uh-”

“Hey! What did I just say? Don’t mention it!”

Milo chuckled, and Jorge took the opportunity to bring out a large case of beer that he had hidden somewhere.

“Well, a party isn’t a party without booze! Drink up!”

The rest of the evening progressed with the couple getting to know the mammals that they previously hadn’t, despite living next to them. Most of their neighbors were kind, and those who seemed aloof and gruff still showed up for the event, so that counted for something. Their most talkative neighbor was the giant rabbit that had spoken up before. When the drinking started, she’d come up to them to introduce herself.

“Hi! My name’s Angelica!” She said, sticking out a paw that Milo and Rosa shook.

“Nice to finally meet you, even with the circumstances.”

“Yeah, if anyone does anything like that to any of my friends, including you, feel free to get me to beat them up. I can swing a baseball bat pretty good.”

“I hope we won’t have to put your skills to use. Thanks anyway, Angelica.”

“No problem, neighbor!”

The tall rabbit walked away to give a beer to her taller companion, who took it reluctantly.

Their larger neighbors were less friendly, but still took the time to greet them and express their relief on their survival. There was even a ZPD detective, the German Shepherd, who assured them that something like that wouldn’t happen again. The lynx and the snow leopardess who he was drinking with/shooting dirty looks at agreed. The shortest one among them, asides from Flo, Jenny, and Nigel, was the fox. He was wearing a green polo with one button missing.

“Well, I guess I’d better introduce myself. I’m Roy Courdman, but people call me Corduroy.”

“Well, Corduroy, it's nice to get to meet you.”

“The feeling’s mutual. I really should’ve talked to you two sooner, but I’m not the best at talking to people.”

“No hard feelings, I understand. So, Corduroy huh? That’s an interesting name.”

“Yep! I hated it at first when my players gave it to me, but it's grown on me.”

“Players?”

“Oh! I coach a middle school soccer team, I used to be a professional player.”

“Nice.”

Corduroy smiled and, when asked, started telling them his story. He had been a soccer player for a bigshot high school team until an accident had nearly decapitated him. He got cold feet and quit after that, but he never lost his love for the sport and took up the coaching job when a friend recommended it to him. The fox’s story took almost an hour to tell, and the mammals in the room were starting to trickle out, and soon the only mammals left were Milo, Rosa, and the three smallest ones in the building. When the last mammal left, Flo immediately bounded up and wrapped her arms around Rosa’s neck. Jenny and Nigel smiled and turned towards the coyote.

“So, you feeling alright?”

Milo exhaled.

“I, I guess so. There’s just a lot to work through. I, uh, need to go to a therapist every week.”

“Mental or physical?”

“Mental.”

Flo broke off her hug with Rosa and everyone left in the lobby looked at him, Rosa giving a knowing nod.

“Why is that?’

Milo wasn’t sure that telling his friends what he’d done would be a good idea. What if they thought of him as a criminal? A murderer? But, he knew that lying about it would be more emotionally taxing then getting it out now.

“I killed someone.”

Flo put her paw over her mouth, Jenny raised both eyebrows, and Nigel’s jaw almost touched the floor.

“You did what?!” All three of them said in unison.

“Well, uh, I-”

“He wasn’t himself. The mammal that he killed drugged him with nighthowler and had tried to kill us both. It was self defense.”

Rosa had come to his aid, which Milo was grateful for. His friends gasped, and the younger ones immediately started firing off questions while Nigel remained silent, digesting the information.

“When did this happen?”

“What did you do?”

“Why did they drug you?”

“Do you remember anything?”

Rosa put a protective arm around Milo.

“If I had just got out of a mentally destructive event, the last thing I’d want is mammals asking me questions about it.”

Flo and Jenny looked down, realizing how gung-ho they’d been about the situation.

“Rosa, it's fine. I’d be curious too.”

The smaller couple looked back up with hopeful smiles.

“I assume you want to hear the story.”

“You don’t have to tell it if-”

“No, I need this. The doctor told me to talk about it with other mammals. Something about a ‘fresh perspective.’”

They gathered around as Milo told them what had happened, his story supplemented with Rosa’s memories of her time in the warehouse. Jenny was crying by the time the story ended, and Flo was doing her best to comfort her. When Milo looked at Nigel, he almost recoiled.

Nigel was angrier than he’d ever been, and Milo had seen him angry. When they’d been fired, he thought the mustelid was going to blow an artery, but this time it looked like he was about to explode like a faulty pressure cooker. The tiny beer can in his paw was crushed, the alcohol long having been drained from it.

“Milo, I’m sorry. I swear to you, if I could, I'd have killed that antler-having bastard myself.”

Milo wasn’t sure what to think of that, but Nigel looked to be pretty far gone.

“Um, thanks?”

“No problem, buddy.”

Nigel put his head back down on his desk. Taking the opportunity, Flo addressed him next.

“I, I’m so sorry. This must be traumatizing for you. I’m sorry I asked about it, I dodn;t mean to-”

“Flo, it's fine. I need to talk about this anyways.”

Jenny composed herself enough to speak.

“Well, I think you’re innocent. Like Rosa said, her father would’ve killed both of you.”

“I, I’m glad you think that. Thanks, to all of you.”

Flo and Jenny smiled, and Nigel gave a weak nod before popping open another beer.

“Well, it's getting late. Do all of you have plans on where to stay the night?”

“Oh, yes. Jenny and I have a hotel room, and I believe Nigel does too.”

“Yeah, I’m good for the night.”

Rosa glanced at the wall clock. It was nearly eleven, and she was determined to get Milo at least ten hours of sleep a day for the next week. Nothing was going to interfere with his recovery. They bid their guests goodbye, and went up to the apartment. Since Rosa had been released from the hospital days before Milo, she’d went back twice to see how Marvin was doing, having forgotten about the skink after her captivity. He was doing fine, and was probably living off of roaches and other bugs. He flicked his tongue happily as he realized both of them were back this time. Milo and Rosa made a beeline to the bedroom, and he realized just how tired he was. Being that emotional really was taxing. He was about to pull the covers over himself and drift off into the embrace of sleep, but he was stopped by a hoof. It seemed Rosa wanted to talk about something.

“Milo?”

“Yes?”

“I need to tell you something.”

Milo sat up in bed and faced Rosa, who was doing the same.

“What is it?”

“It’s about my father’s death. I didn’t tell you everything. There’s something else you need to know.”

This was it, no turning back now.

“Wait, there’s something else? Why hadn’t you told me before now?”

“Because, well, I thought it wouldn't be best. At least, at the time. But you need to know.”

“I need to know what?”

“That, uh, after you killed him, you may have, um, eaten him. Or at least part of him.”

Milo took a second to register what she’d said. After he did, his mide went into overdrive.

“WHAT?”

Before Rosa could respond, Milo fell back onto his pillow. At first, it seemed he was too angry to talk, but upon closer inspection, he was out cold. He’d fainted. Rosa sighed, they’d just have to discuss it in the morning.


	43. Slump

Chapter XLII, Slump

The morning sun crept through the window, shining down on Rosa’s face and waking her. She groaned at the uncomfortable brightness, and instinctually rolled over to grasp at the warm lump of coyote that was usually to her right. Milo wasn’t there, and this jolted her memory. She was out of bed and half-running down the hall seconds later.

Milo was up, and he was sitting at the small coffee table that overlooked the street. There was no smell of cooking breakfast like there usually was when he got up before her, not even a cup of coffee was sitting on the table. He was staring out over the snow capped buildings.

“Milo?”

“Morning.” He responded, not even turning his head. He sounded like he had gotten no sleep at all.

“Did you sleep alright?”

He turned towards her. His eyes were red and puffy, suggesting he’d been crying, and he had a look of sadness that Rosa had never seen before in their year together.

“Yeah, I guess. Considering.”

He turned back, not wanting to look her in the eye.

“Can I get you anything? Coffee? Breakfast?”

“I don’t think I want to eat anything.”

Milo felt terrible. The bombshell that had been dropped on him last night split his already frayed nerves, and he had spent the better part of the morning hunched over the toilet, cleansing his gut of everything he’d eaten over the last day. Even though the deer flesh in his system had probably already been used up, he didn’t want to eat anything, knowing that he had cannibalized a sentient being. Fish and poultry were different, they didn’t think. They couldn’t comprehend their own existence. But Arthur Deerborn could’ve. And no matter what he’d done in life, no mammal deserved his fate except for his killer. The only thing keeping Milo attached to the realm of the living was the deer that had come into his life so suddenly.

“Milo, I know that this must be hard for you, but you need to-”

“I don’t need to do anything. I’m a monster. Bellwether was right, preds really don’t belong in a civilized city.”

Rosa couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Milo wasn’t making sense. Did he really think that responsibility for his actions extended to his nighthowler-drugged self?

“Don’t say that. I have told you this once, and I’ll tell you again, you were drugged against your will by the mammal whose death you think you’re responsible for. There is absolutely no evidence or reason to suggest that you were in a state to stop yourself.”

Milo shifted himself so that he was now fully focused on the doe.

“You don’t understand! No matter how many toxins were in my system, that was still me! I did those things! And it doesn’t matter who I did them to, it was still a mammal! It could’ve very well been someone else other than him, apart from you, and what would I be then? Still a murderer, still a monster!”

Rosa stepped towards him, but he recoiled, keeping a meter’s distance. 

“Please, don’t get closer.”

“Why?”

“Why? Why?! Haven’t you been listening?! I’m a monster, I killed to survive!”

“Milo, you’re not a-”

“No, you’re not thinking straight. You need to stay away.”

Milo stood up violently, nearly flipping the table, and half-ran to the coat rack next to the door.

“Milo, where are you goi-”

“Out.”

He put one sleeve of his jacket on, smashed his hat down on his skull, and left, slamming the door as he went. He didn’t speak to the few people he saw on the way down, he was too scared of himself, and too scared of what they would think of him if the information of what he’d done was to ever get out. He exited the side door to the parking lot, and threw himself into his car. He debated whether or not he was in a state to drive, and eventually decided he was. He floored it out of the lot and onto the icy road out of town.

He wasn’t sure where he wanted to go, he wasn’t even sure if he wanted to go anywhere. He just needed to be away from anyone he could hurt. He looked at his paws sitting on the steering wheel, the claws extending from his fingertips sickened him. His tongue felt the sharpness of his fangs, like crooked knives. He hated himself. He was designed to kill, to maim, to gore, and to survive off of murder. His existence was evil, and he didn’t know what he could do about it.

He turned off of the main road onto a smaller service road. He knew that it led northeast, to the cliffs district and the coldest area you could get to in Zootopia. If the fall off of those jagged precipices didn’t kill him, then the frozen waves would.

Rosa watched the white Pawmoth speed away with a sad look. Of course, she had expected him to have an adverse reaction to what he had done under the influence of nighthowler, but he was taking this much worse than she’d anticipated. And he'd been doing so well, too. He had almost came to terms with Arthur's killing and his role in all of it, but she just had to go and open her mouth. She fully regretted telling him, even if she'd have to keep it a secret from him for decades to come. She considered her options. She didn’t have a license for a car or motorcycle, so that ruled out following him, and besides, he was probably already too far away to see. Then, she had an idea. His phone tracker.

After last week’s incident, they agreed to install tracking apps on their phones that could tell each other where they were. Rosa pulled up hers, and sure enough, the dot that represented Milo was heading down West Seventh Street, further northeast then they already were. She wasn’t exactly sure of what he’d meant when he said ‘out’, but she had a bad feeling. She dialed a number that she had many times before. Rosa didn’t have a way to follow the distraught coyote, but she knew someone that did. The phone rang twice, and a familiar mammal picked up.

“Hello?”

“Walt, I need help.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one made me sad.


	44. Pursuit

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank all of you wonderful readers for making this story of mine reach 2k! As I have said before, my expectations were low going into this, and I was just writing to get my ideas down on paper. But now that I have an audience, especially one that leaves such nice comments (big ups to aomagrat and BrutusDeagon), I have found the motivation to write daily, which I never expected to be able to do. Thank you all again, and enjoy this chapter. In celebration, I will have something special up on twitter soon.

Chapter XLIII, Pursuit

Normally, driving along the ice-covered roads to northeast Tundratown was nerve-wracking, especially without snow chains, but Milo was eerily calm. It would only take one wrong turn of the wheel, or one bad braking maneuver to send him careening to his death, or at the very least, serious bodily harm, but he didn’t care. He looked around him, at his car, his clothes, his phone (which had been vibrating almost without pause as soon as he left), and his muzzle wrinkled up in disgust. He didn’t deserve any of this. He only deserved to suffer for what he’d done. Guilt traveled through his body in waves, nearly making him lose control of the large car, but instead of stopping, he simply accelerated. His mind was nearly made up on what he was going to do.

Rosa was sitting in the front passenger seat of Walt’s cab, frantically calling out directions to the Red Wolf as she saw Milo’s dot move farther and farther away. She didn;t know what was going on, or what he was doing, but it couldn’t be good. He definitely wasn’t sane enough to safely drive on any road, much less the ones out here. Walt was leaning forward, attempting to catch anything on the road that could be hazardous in his gaze.

“So, what exactly is going on? I can understand if you don’t want to tell me, but I want to know what’s got two of my favorite mammals all riled up.”

Rosa sighed.

“Walt, I’d tell you if I thought it was a good idea, but I’m not sure Milo wants more people to know about it. The most I can say is that he blames himself for something he had no control over, and I can’t convince him it isn’t his fault.”

“Huh, alright then. You know what he’s doing, driving all the way out here?”

“No, I don’t, and that’s what’s scaring me. He isn’t right in the head currently.”

Walt nodded and sped up as much as he dared to, but they were still going slower than Milo.

The distraught canine was nearing his destination, a patch of frozen tundra beside the sheer cliffs overlooking the icy bay of the north. There were next to no mammals living all the way out here, apart from those who could brave the cold to work in the ice fisheries and half-frozen docks, so nobody was there to witness what Milo was going to do. He exited the car, leaving the door open. It wasn’t like he intended to get back in, after all. The air was much below freezing now, as he was just a few miles from the climate wall, and he shivered as it permeated his hat and coat. It was summertime, so his fur was at its shortest, which made the experience much more uncomfortable. 

Walt sped down the small, frozen over road following Rosa’s increasingly panicked directions. It seemed like Milo had stopped, or at least slowed down to walking pace, as his dot was moving towards the coast at only a few kph. Rosa had never been to this area, but she knew from friends that it wasn’t exactly the nicest place to go for a seaside stroll. It became more and more plausible that he was doing something that Rosa though was unthinkable.

Milo stood half a meter from the edge, peering over the side of the sheer drop into the jagged ice and frigid water of the northern sea. Looking around, he could see any mammals, or signs of life except for a cell tower’s blinking light. He turned his attention back to the rolling waves. He thought about his relationship with Rosa.

They would never be able to work, and he realized this now. They were simply too different. He had committed a social taboo that dated back before mammals had gained their sentience and moved beyond their savage ways. He was a monster. If he were to stay with the doe he loved, he’d hurt her, or something worse. He didn’t know if he could control his instincts anymore. He sighed, and took a small step forward.

Rosa couldn’t breath. They were rapidly closing in on her coyote’s location, and he, or his phone, hadn’t moved in at least two minutes. She tried to hope for the best, but doubt and terror filled her head and clouded her thoughts. What if he had already jumped? Walt braked and the taxi slid to a halt. Rosa looked up and saw a familiar white car, parked on the side of the road with the driver’s side door open. That was an immediate red flag. The second warning was the trail of pawprints leading towards the cliff’s edge. She immediately unbuckled and put her phone back in a pocket.

“Um, do you need me to wait here?”

Rosa was already halfway out of the door, but she turned back to give Walt a nervous smile.

“No, but thank you.”

He nodded, and did a u-turn as soon as Rosa had gotten out and closed the door. She ran past Milo’s Pawmoth, following the trail he’d left.

Milo inched closer to the edge. He was getting cold feet, both figuratively and literally. The wind was picking up in pace and he was doing his best to keep upright and in one spot. His claws were digging into the frozen dirt as he struggled to make up his mind. Maybe if he had been a buck, or anything other than a pred, this could’ve worked. Maybe if he could control himself. Maybe if-

“MILO!”

He whirled around to see the doe running at him from the direction his car was. She was in tears, which meant she’d probably figured out what he was doing. Instantly, his resolve broke. She cared about him, and his death would have an impact. Not to mention his friends and neighbors who, only a day before, were comforting him and telling him that he wasn’t a monster. He couldn’t do it.

He went to take a step towards her, but unfortunately, he had already lost his footing while turning and the movement made him slip on the ice. Combined with the heavy wind, he felt himself move backward, towards the sea. He put out an arm to stop the fall he was leaning into, but it was too late. His paw hit nothing but air, and he toppled backwards, towards the deep water.


	45. Savior

Chapter XLIV, Savior

Rosa saw him take a step away from the edge, filling her with hope that perhaps he had decided to talk it out instead of doing something rash. She felt her stomach drop as she saw him lose his footing in a gust of wind. Time slowed to a crawl as he pivoted backwards, his arms flailing around in an attempt to find purchase on the ground. He had no such luck, and it seemed like he would fall.

A surge of energy, brought on by adrenaline, coursed through Rosa’s legs, and she sprinted as fast as she had ever gone, reaching the cliff face in a matter of seconds. Milo had already dipped below ground level. She nearly slipped over the edge herself, but managed to dig her hooves in at the last second. She extended her arms as long as they could reach, and to her relief, she felt a paw grab onto her hoof.

Milo’s fall was cut short. When he realized he was over the edge, he’d reflexively extended an arm to try and grab ahold of something, anything, that would keep him upright. His paw connected with something hard and warm, and he grabbed on for dear life. His left paw, which had been dangling by his side, shot up and grabbed onto the hoof as well.

Rosa grasped both of his paws with both hooves, and she began to walk backward, dragging Milo with her. Soon, his head had cleared the edge of the cliff and he grabbed ahold of the ground, digging his claws in. With one last effort, he rolled himself over the side of the cliff. Before he could say anything, he was immobilized by a pair of arms. 

Rosa wrapped herself around Milo. When he half-heartedly tried to break free, she squeezed tighter, making him go limp and melt into the embrace. She put her muzzle down into the crook of his neck, and just breathed on him. She could feel him heaving, but there were no tears.

Milo was doing his best to keep himself from having another meltdown. He could feel himself descending deeper into emotional overload as his conflicting feelings met head on. He felt a panic attack coming on before Rosa dipped her head down and nuzzled his neck. He lost all bodily control at that point, and he pressed himself as far as he could go into her. She was so warm, a stark contrast against the brutal wind that had nearly ended him. He now wholly regretted his decision.

“R-Rosa, I’m so s-”

“Ssssh…” She cooed.

Milo’s emotions evaporated into nothingness at her voice. It felt like she was the only thing left in the world. This was the closest thing he could compare to having a mother. When his father was alive, he’d always been there for him, but there was always a hole in the family. Milo felt that hole being filled by his doe.

The embrace lasted for minutes, Rosa only breaking it off when the cold became too much to handle. Milo looked up at her.

“I love you.”

“I love you too.”

She stood, and helped him off of the ground. The car was still there, now covered in a light layer of snow. Milo walked around to the still open driver’s side door.

“Are you sure you can drive?”

Milo considered that.

“I, um, I think so.”

Rosa didn’t have a license, but he was in a rather delicate state.

“If you say so.”

He sat down on the wet vinyl seat, the snow had melted on it. Rosa slid into the passenger seat. 

“How did you get out here?”

“I called Walt, and we followed you. I knew something was up.”

Milo looked surprised, and then nodded. It's what he would’ve done.

“In that case, thank you for coming out here. You saved my life.”

She leaned across the bench seat and pecked him on the cheek.

“Don’t mention it, that’s what lovers do.”

Milo smiled and turned south, back to the apartment.

Milo slept better than he had for weeks that night. Rosa, through her honest charisma and logic, had finally managed to turn the blame of Arthur’s demise away from him. He still felt guilty, but everytime he voiced that guilt, Rosa fervently denied he was at any fault, and eventually he started to believe it. That didn’t mean he was exempt from the mandatory psychologist appointments that his doctor had assigned.

Milo pulled on one of his good shirts and combed his fur back, being sure to catch any tangles and knots that had formed while he slept. He wanted to look at his best when he met the therapist he’d been assigned.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to go with you?”

Rosa was still very concerned for his mental health, enough so that she wanted to accompany him to the doctor to make sure he was fine.

“Yeah, I should be fine. Don’t worry, if anything goes wrong, I’ll call you.”

Rosa was reassured by this, but it didn’t completely banish her fears. She kissed the coyote goodbye as he walked out the door, and when he was gone, walked to the office. She needed to call someone.

Her phone rang four times, then a merino sheep appeared on her screen, looking tired but happy to see her. During the last week and a half, Rosa had completely forgotten about Robbie and Lucia.

“Rosa! What’s up?”

“Oh, nothing really important. I just wanted to check in with you and Bobby. Are you two still doing that trip you talked about?”

“Yes, we are! He met my folks a few days ago, and apart from my aunt, it went well!”

Rosa made a mental note to ask about Lucia’s aunt later.

“That’s good to hear.”

“Yeah, he was nervous about it though. Probably though we were too rich for him. He just about fainted when we pulled up at the mansion.”

Rosa chuckled, imagining the laid-back puma completely out of his element at a formal dinner.

“So, you and Milo. How’s the engagement been coming along.”

If it were two days ago, Rosa would’ve told Lucia about the ‘incident’, but she’d learned her lesson about running her mouth.

“Well, there isn’t a set date yet, but it's definitely happening.”

Lucia grinned.

“That’s so great to hear! You two really do make a cute couple.”

Rosa grinned mischievously.

“We’re not the only cute couple I know about.”

Lucia froze, then shook her head, clearing her thoughts.

“Who?”

“I saw something in the stairwell the day we left school.”

Lucia froze, her eyes going wide, and her cheeks flushing red.

“You, uh, saw that, huh?”

Rosa smiled.

“I did. How’s it going with Robbie?”

In response, Lucia adjusted the camera. Rosa could now tell she was in a bed. Lucia shifted, bringing the slumbering form of a shirtless puma into frame. She covered her mouth with a hoof, and Lucia re-adjusted the camera to only include her head in frame.

“Oh. I see.”

Lucia giggled.

“So, getting back on topic, what’re you gonna do for your wedding?”

The next hour was filled with discussion about the two prey mammal’s respective love lives, such as brainstorming on ideas for her and Milo’s wedding, culminating with Lucia cutting off discussion when Robbie began to stir. Rosa set her phone back down on the desk, and simply leaned back in her chair, thinking.


	46. Special Update 11-12-20

Alright, so I'm kinda burnt out on this fic for the moment. This doesn't mean that I won't be finishing it, I'll just be working on other projects for a month or so before I get back to this. I hope y'all understand. If you're interested, check out my profile for what I'm gonna be working on for a while. Cheers!


	47. Special Update 01-12-21

Alright, I've got some fresh ideas and motivation to wrap this story up. Expect semi-normal updates from now on.


	48. Analysis

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Been a while, hasn't it?

Chapter XLV, Analysis

The therapist’s office was exactly what Milo had expected. A magazine rack, white walls, carpet that looked like it was older than he was, paintings of flowers. He was the only mammal in the waiting room.

As the clock hanging on the wall struck eleven, the door to the main room opened. A thin weasel and an even tinier rat stepped out. The weasel slinked past and out of the door, while the rat looked at him.

“Mr. Latras?”

“That’s me. I assume that you’re Dr. Talpa?”

“Yes. Please, step inside my office.”

The rat’s office was very similar to her waiting room, with the addition of a couch flanked by wooden bookcases. Quickly glancing at them, Milo noticed they were mostly filled with self-help books with the occasional fantasy classic thrown in.

“Ahem.”

The sound of a tiny throat being cleared brought Milo’s attention back to why he was here. Dr. Talpa was sitting on an almost comically small recliner on a plinth that raised it up to eye level.

“Please take a seat, and we may begin.”

Milo sat down on the couch while the rodent took out a notebook.

“Well, Mr. Latras. Your doctor at Tundratown general said that you were in need of help, but he neglected to tell me the fine details. I assume he thought it would be better for me to hear them from you directly.”

Milo nodded.

“What do you want to know?”

“Let’s just get the basics of what happened last week, and your role in it. Of course, I saw the news that day, but the ZPD raid was the main focus.”

Milo exhaled, knowing that this would be painful.

“I’ll tell you what I remember…”

Relating the story brought out a truckload of emotions that Milo would rather have kept bottled away, but Dr. Talpa was patient and he was able to take several breaks to collect himself.

When he was done, the Doctor nodded thoughtfully.

“I see, your doctor was right to send you here. I want to talk about the guilt you feel for Mr. Deerborn’s death.”

“I- I’ve managed to get over it somewhat, with help from my fiance, but I still have the occasional guilt trip when I think too much about it.”

Dr. Talpa scribbled on her notepad before looking back up.

“Well, Mr. Latras, I believe that there’s more to your emotions relating to this than meets the eye. I’ve had patients before with severe issues and guilt over murders they had either knowingly or unwittingly committed, but your case is unique. You were in no state to control yourself at the time, yet you still feel tremendous amounts of regret over the incident. Tell me, is there anything in your life that could produce guilt that had resurfaced last week?”

Milo thought about that. He thought that Arthur’s murder would be enough to make him feel miserable, but from a logical standpoint, he wasn’t to blame. So it made sense that there was an inordinate amount of guilt.

“I, I’m not sure.”

The doctor nodded.

“Very well. If that is the case, then we must start from the beginning. What can you tell me about the major events of your childhood?”

Milo froze up. He really didn’t want to talk about this with an almost complete stranger.

“Don’t worry, I’m here to listen and help you.”

With a sigh, he began his story.

-Twenty-four years previously-

Michael Latras was on his way home from his job. His boss had broken some hard news to him today, the corporation that owned the factory was going bankrupt, and as such, could no longer pay their workers. He had two weeks to find another job.

He sighed at yet another red light. At least when he got home he’d be able to see his girlfriend and infant son. Although they’d argued more than usual for a while, he was sure she’d be able to comfort him somewhat. They’d both be able to support each other.

He pulled up to his apartment. It was average, by Happytown standards, which meant it was trash. At least the cockroaches were a good source of protein.

His apartment was on the fifth floor. The elevator had long been broken, and even if it was working he wasn’t sure if it was up to code. Taking the stairs wasn’t that bad.

He turned the key in the lock, and the door swung open to their dingy apartment. 

“Damn, forgot to pick up groceries again.”

He draped his jacket over the couch.

“Amanda, I’m home.”

He was used to her coming out of their room to greet him, but today was different. After a few minutes, he went to go see where she was.

Not in the bathroom, not on the fire escape, not in Milo’s room. Michael took a moment to check on his son before he went back out into the living room. Milo was sleeping peacefully.

Michael paced, debating calling the cops. Maybe she was just out with friends and forgot to tell him? Maybe she’d left a note?

As soon as he thought that, he noticed a slip of paper held to the fridge by a magnet. Taking it down, he read it aloud.

“Michael, I think we both know that this isn’t working out. I made a mistake by loving you. I’ve found another man, please don’t try to contact me. I don’t want to see you again.”

The paper slipped from his paws and floated lazily down to the floor. His mild fatigue combined with this new information settled into rage like he’d never felt before.

“THAT FUCKING BITCH!” He screamed, punching a wall. His fist left a dent in it.

“THAT COLD-HEARTED HELLSPAWN!”

He took a glass off of the counter and smashed it as hard as he could against the floor. Shards cut his foot and he started to bleed, but he didn’t care.

“I’M GONNA FUCKING-”

His rage-induced scream was cut off by a soft whine from Milo’s room. His father instincts took control and he calmed himself.

He’d apparently woken Milo up. The pup was squirming and making soft noises. Michael picked him up and rocked him gently, lulling his son back to sleep.

“Don’t worry, this’ll work out. It’ll be fine. I promise.” He told himself as much as he told Milo.

He set Milo back down in the crib, his anger completely dissipated. He could make this work. He had a few thousand saved up in his bank account, the one that Amanda didn’t have access to. He and Milo could live off that until he found a job. Now that he thought about it, it shouldn’t be too hard to find work. He could also ask his brother for help, but he wasn’t that desperate yet.

“Alright, yeah, this is fine.”

He grabbed today’s newspaper sitting on the table and immediately started skimming the classifieds. He had no time to waste feeling sorry for himself.

-Present Day-

“So, it was your mother that left your father?”

“Yes. He never managed to find her, but I don’t think he looked that hard. He never talked about it with me much, only said that we were better off without her.”

“Well, judging from your situation right now, I assume things worked out for the both of you?”

Milo winced.

“Just me. That’s the next part of my story.”

-Seventeen years previously-

“Uncle Rob, are we gonna go see dad today?”

“Yeah, we are.”

Robert Latras was slightly concerned for his brother. Michael hadn’t picked up the phone for days, and he’d seemed more downtrodden then usual when he dropped Milo off for his monthly visit. 

Speaking of Milo, he’d become almost like a child to Robert. The boy looked so much like Michael had when he was seven. They were forming a bond, and Robert was grateful to his brother for letting him spend time with his nephew. He was sure seeing Milo wound knock him out of whatever funk he’d worked himself into.

The drive to Michael’s apartment was only half an hour, but it felt much longer due to the change in environment. Robert, while not rich, lived nicely in a downtown apartment. Happytown was a different story. He’d offered to help Michael pay for an apartment out of the district, but he refused adamantly every time it was brought up.

Robert parked his Pawmoth in Michael’s spot, his brother had sold his car to help pay bills long ago. Milo immediately opened the door and bolted to the entrance. Robert was slower to follow, and by the time he reached the fifth floor, Milo was already there.

“Uncle Rob, the door’s locked.”

Robert tried the handle, and sure enough, Milo was right.

“Mike? You there?”

No answer. Robert was starting to get more anxious, but he didn’t want it to show. Milo had enough to worry about.

He took out the emergency key Michael had given him. It turned in the lock, and after a few seconds of jiggling it, the door swung open.

Milo wasn’t looking at the door when it opened, and Robert was thankful for that. He didn’t have to see his father, dangling a few centimeters off of the ground, suspended from a ceiling fan.

Robert gasped, then quickly closed the door. What was he supposed to do?

“Uncle Rob, what’s wrong? Where’s dad?”

“Milo, please go downstairs and get back in the car.”

“What? I want to see dad!”

“Milo, please, just trust me.”

As soon as he was gone, Robert stepped into the apartment. Ignoring everything else, he took the phone off the receiver and dialed the cops.

Milo was still in the car when he saw a squad car and a coroner’s van pull up to the curb. He was confused, but he’d watched enough movies to know that something was up. Quietly, he opened the car door and walked back up the stairs. The door to his apartment was slightly ajar, and he pushed it open.

Robert, sitting on a chair in the apartment’s small kitchen, took a second to react. The first thing he saw was Milo, staring blankly at his father.

“Milo! Milo!”

He swept the kit off his feet and rushed outside of the room, closing the door behind him with his leg.

“I thought I said to stay in the car! What are you doing up here?”

Robert’s anger dissipated instantly when he realized how his nephew must have felt.

“Milo, I’m so sorry.” He said, pulling Milo into a hug.

The kit was stunned. His brain couldn’t seem to process what he’d seen. Of course, he knew what had happened, but he didn’t know why.

The next week was a blur. The funeral, his new permanent home with uncle Rob, his peers and teachers acting all sad and sympathetic, Milo didn’t have time to think about any of it. He still was hung up on why his father did it.

He aged, graduating middle school, and then high school. Over time, his uncle had become more distant. It wasn’t like he disliked him or anything like that, when Milo started high school at a school a few miles away, he’d given him his car to use, it was more like they were just falling in different directions.

Milo still didn’t know why his dad had killed himself, but he’d had time to think. Maybe it was him? Maybe he hadn’t been a good enough son?

Whenever he’d confided this in uncle Rob, he’d been told that his father was just suffering an undue amount of stress, and that’s what caused it. Milo knew that it made sense, but he couldn’t shake that feeling that he was somehow at fault…

-Present Day-

“Hm, this is quite serious. To me, it seems like you have major issues involving guilt over things that you have no control over. This occurs when someone has events happen that they cannot control, but wish they could, especially at a young age. No doubt you're father’s death, and maybe even your mother’s abandonment had something to do with this.”

Milo nodded. He wasn’t happy to learn about his underlying psychological problems, but he could tell that the doctor wanted to help. He glanced up from the floor, which he’d been staring at while he told his story, and noticed a clock on the doctor’s desk. It was half an hour past their scheduled time.

The doctor looked up, then at the clock as well.

“Oh, don’t worry about that. I usually expect meetings with new patients to runa little long, so I cleared my schedule for the rest of the day.”

“Are you sure? I don't want to waste any of your-”

“I am sure, Mr. Latras. Now, if you will just sign this…”

Milo left after filing the necessary paperwork, feeling somewhat better. He knew what was wrong, and he was determined to fix it.


	49. Reunion

Chapter XLVI, Reunion

The next few bi-weekly visits to Dr. Talpa was more relaxed, they worked on untangling the knot of emotion that Milo hadn’t even realized was growing inside him. He never even considered his brain could be this complex, much less this broken. 

Whilst he didn’t notice at first, Milo slowly came to the realization that these sessions were doing wonders for him. He was glad that his problems weren’t going to be permanent.

The fifth visit, however, took Milo by surprise.

He pulled up to the now familiar office building, and climbed up to the third floor where Dr. Talpa had her office. He opened the door, and as always, there was nobody else. He waited for her to come out of her office, but it was different today. Instead, she opened the door, but only stood in the doorway.

“Mr. Latras, please come in.”

Milo was slightly puzzled, but didn’t ask about the change in routine. Instead, he walked inside behind the doctor. He noticed there was someone else in the room, sitting on one end of the couch.

It was another coyote, but he seemed much older than Milo. Maybe in his mid fifties. There was something about him that Milo recognized, but it took him a second to figure out exactly who it was, and another to register that information.

“Uncle Rob?”

The older canine nodded.

“Hey Milo. Long time, eh?”

Milo was stunned. The last time he remembered talking to Rob was more than eight years ago. What was he doing here?

“I bet you’re confused. Have a seat and I’ll tell you everything.”

He patted the empty space next to him on the couch, which Milo sat on. Doctor Talpa sat down on her chair, but didn’t speak.

“Uncle Rob, what-”

“I’m sorry.”

Milo was taken aback. What did he have to be sorry for?

“What?”

“I’m sorry for breaking off contact like I did. I, it's just, you look and act so much like your dad, every time I looked at you after that day it was like staring at a clone of him. I just, it became too much after a while. I’m so sorry I didn’t do a better job of, well, raising you.”

Realization hit Milo like a truck. It made sense now, the averted glances, the short answers to questions, the lack of time spent together. He knew that seeing a spitting image of his dead brother every day would have an affect on Robert.

“Uncle Rob, I never realized, I-”

“You don’t need to apologize for nothing, kid. I was the one that basically abandoned you after you left home. But I’m back now. Doc here managed to track me down by going through your file, and told me you needed some help.”

Milo looked at Dr. Talpa, who shrugged.

“It seemed you and your uncle had a good relationship for a while, I thought a reunion might help.”

“Well, I don’t know what to say other than thank you, doctor.”

The rat nodded.

“It’s my job to help you. No thanks needed.”

Robert spoke again, this time holding out a small piece of paper.

“I’ve been holding on to this for years. It's a note from your dad.”

Milo took the paper. It certainly looked old.

“I found it the day he died, on the kitchen table in your old apartment. There was another note next to it, it told me to give this to you if you ever had a really rough patch and needed a pick-me-up.”

Milo unfolded the paper. It was, in fact, a note in his father’s handwriting.

Milo,

If you’re reading this, then Rob decided that you needed help and gave it to you. I have no way of knowing how you’re doing, but I can say with certainty that you’re a fine man. You could be ten or sixty for all I know, but I still love you. Things aren’t going too well for me, as I’m sure you will have figured out. I hope that you will do better than I have.

-Much love, Dad

Milo could feel himself tearing up. Robert put a paw on his shoulder, and that made him start sobbing. He hadn’t cried in public for years. It felt good to let out some emotions.

Dr. Talpa wrapped the session up early, and Milo and Robert left together. On the way down the stairs, Rob asked a question.

“So, do you want to go get a drink or some food somewhere?”

Milo thought. It would be nice to catch up on things with his uncle.

“Sure. Actually, I have someone I’d like you to meet as well.”

“Oh? Who would that be?”

“My fiance.”

Robert froze in his tracks.

“You’re engaged?”

“Yep, have been for a few months.”

“Well, color me surprised. If I may say so, you weren’t the most promiscuous kid back in high school.”

“I guess I was just waiting for the right one.”

They exited to the parking lot. Milo looked around.

“So, do you have a car?”

“Nope, got here by bus. What about you?”

Milo gestured to the Pawmoth sitting in the parking lot.

“Well, damn. You kept it running after all these years?”

“Yeah, I did. I’ve driven other cars, but nothing can quite match the 70s.”

“Right you are.”

They got in, but before they set off, Milo called Rosa.

Back in the apartment, she picked up her ringing phone.

“Hello?”

“Hey Rosa, would you mind meeting me at the Iceberg Pub in about half an hour?”

“Not at all, why?”

“I’ve got someone you need to meet.”

“Alright then. You said half an hour?”

“Yeah. I’ll see you then.”

“Love you.”

“You too.”

She hung up and got dressed. The bar they were going to meet at was near the market district, on an iceberg anchored to the shore. It was one of their favorite places to get a drink. She made sure Marvin had food and water, locked up the apartment, then hailed a cab.

She arrived with ten minutes to spare. As she got out of the taxi, she saw Milo’s car parked outside, but nobody was in it.

“Must be in the bar.”

The bar was fairly packed, as usual, but Milo was still easy to spot. He was at a booth in the back of the building, with another older coyote. Rosa wondered if that was who she was supposed to meet.

Rob and Milo hadn’t ordered food yet, they were waiting for Rosa.

“So, what’ve you been doing?”

“Since we last talked? Well, I landed a job at a power plant. I got temporarily fired during the whole savage thing, but I was promoted after it ended. So that ended up fine I guess.”

Rob nodded.

“And what happened last week? You're doc told me something went down but didn’t go into any more detail. Patient confidentiality and all that.”

“Well, it's a bit of a story.”

Milo related to him what’d happened.

“Well, damn. I wish I’d known sooner, I would’ve shown up as soon as I could.”

“Don’t beat yourself up about it. I have a few people in my life that helped me get through it.”

“I guess so.”

“What about you? Last time I heard you were a truck driver.”

“You heard right. Been driving a lot of desert routes for the last few years. Pay’s good, and I don’t have much to complain about.”

Silence fell between them as Milo checked the time. Rosa had ten minutes.

Almost as if summoned by his thought, he saw her approach out of his peripheral vision. He turned and smiled at her.

“Hey.”

She planted a quick kiss on his lips.

“Hey.”

She slid into the booth next to him. Rob looked confused.

“Wait, so this is your fiance?”

“Yep. Rob, this is Rosa.”

They leaned in for a hoof/paw shake.

“Nice to meet you, Rob.”

“You too. I’ve gotta say, I didn’t expect you to be a deer when Milo said he’d found himself a girl.”

“It’s a long story.”

“I’ve got time.”


	50. Mishap

XLVII, Mishap

Relating their story to Robert took more than an hour. By the time they had finished with the story, they were done with their food as well, and it was getting late.

“Well, I suppose it's about time to go. I really enjoyed today, Milo. And I’m glad I got to meet you, Rosa.”

“We should do this again sometime. Can I get your number so we can get in contact?”

“Sure.”

They exchanged numbers, and parted ways. Milo and Rosa went back to the car and Robert walked down the street to a nearby bus stop.

On the way home, Rosa brought up something she’d been thinking about.

“So, Rob is the uncle you told me about?”

“Yep. Haven’t seen him for a while, but he heard about what happened and decided to visit.”

“That’s nice of him.”

“Yeah.”

They were both tired, and both went to bed as soon as they got back to their building.

The next morning, Milo was the first to wake. He was glad, as he had something to do before Rosa was up. He made his way to the kitchen, and pulled out his phone, dialing a number he’d been given months ago.

The line rang for a few times, before the mammal on the other end picked up.

“Jack Holt State Park, Chief Ranger speaking.”

“Hey, Roy. I want to make a pavilion reservation.”

Rosa was up and about shortly after he finished his call. He didn’t know, but she had plans too.

She walked to the bathroom, locked the door, and dialed a number she’d had for months.

The line rang, then almost immediately someone picked up.

“Jack Holt State Park, would you like to reserve a campground?”

“Hello, Grace. I’d like to reserve a pavilion.”

Milo had almost finished breakfast by the time Rosa had finished her call.

“Morning. I made waffles.”

“Thanks.”

She pecked his cheek, then filled her plate. They sat down at the table.

“So, you got any plans for the wedding?”

Rosa managed to avoid choking on her waffle.

“Um, no, I don’t. Do you?”

“Nah, nah. I guess we should keep looking for places.”

“We should.”

Milo knew Rosa well enough to know that something was being hidden from him, but he wasn’t about to stick his nose in business that might not be his. Rosa shared his sentiment.

As Rosa was still on break for a month, she was alone most of the day. Which gave her time to think.

“Who should I invite?”

Certainly Nigel and Milo’s uncle. They were the closest thing to a family he had. Jenny and Flo would probably be happy to show up. What about Walt? He knew Milo, but only a little.

She made calls and wrote down names for the better part of an hour. Because it wasn’t going to be a large event, she limited herself to two dozen mammals, all of which they had a personal connection to.

Milo had been doing his own planning. The pavilion he’d booked from Roy wasn’t large, and he’d expected maybe twenty people to be willing to attend. He started calling up his friends. It wasn’t long before he realized what was going on.

“Hey, Flo, Jenny. Rosa and I are finally getting a wedding together and I wanted to see if you could come.”

The end of the line was silent for a while.

“Um, of course. We thought you called us already?”

It was Milo’s turn to fall silent. Had he?

“What?”

“Rosa called us maybe an hour earlier and told us.”

“Um, alright, well, thanks, I guess we’ll see you then.”

Milo was confused. He hadn’t told Rosa about his plan.Quickly, he dialed her number.

“Hello?”

“Rosa, hey. I was just on the phone with Flo and Jenny. I’ve been trying to make plans for our wedding in secret, y’know, like a surprise, but they said you’d invited them to the place I was planning.”

“Oh. I, uh, was going to tell you after I invited everyone.”

“Ah.”

A few seconds of awkward silence ensued. 

“So, er, who were you going to invite?”

“Oh, just a few people we know. Not more than two dozen.”

“And you told them to show up at the park?”

“Yes.”

“Well, that was my plan too. I suppose we should just go ahead with it.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

They spent a few minutes comparing their ideas and finally coming to an agreement. The wedding would be next month, at the park.


	51. License

Chapter XLVIII, License 

The summer was coming to an end. Outside the window, leaves were turning from green and brown to vibrant shades of orange and red. The air had turned crisp and cool. But while he usually enjoyed the turning of the seasons, Milo was preoccupied.

He'd tried not to overthink the wedding, but he couldn’t help it. There were just so many things to do, and only two weeks to do it...

"Milo?"

He looked up, the voice instantaneously relieving the stress that had been building for the hours that he'd been alone. College had started back up for Rosa, and she was gone for six hours out if the day.

"Hey, Rosa. Have a good time at school?"

"By school standards, it was a nice day. How about you?"

"Eh, not feeling so great today. I've been stressing myself out over the wedding."

Rosa set her schoolbag down on the floor, and crouched down next to his chair.

"Oh, Milo. I thought we agreed to not worry about it."

"Yeah, I know, but I can't not worry about it."

Pulling her beloved into a tight hug, Rosa nuzzled his chest, something that he always liked. 

"I love you."

What Milo had been worrying about was transportation. Many of the people they'd invited didn't have a car. Walt had agreed to carry at least four people in his cab, but there were still a few people without rides.

Rosa peered at his list of who was riding with who.

"Seems like some people need a lift. We have two cars, don’t we?"

"Yeah, but you don't have a license."

"Well, I've always wanted one. How about I get one, that way I can drive everyone who doesn't have the means to get there."

Milo turned the idea over in his head. It seemed to be an alright solution to the problem at hand, and Rosa did need a license. 

"Huh, ok. But I'll need to teach you how to drive a stick shift."

It seemed simple to Rosa. As it turns out, it was the opposite.

They were in a mostly deserted parking lot in the mastw4emore temperate region of Tundratown, as Milo didn’t want snow to complicate her learning process. 

Rosa killed the engine for the sixth time in a few minutes. Maybe it was the way her hooves were shaped that made them slide off the pedals, maybe it was the age of the car, maybe she was just a bad driver. She didn't know.

"Fuck."

"Ah, don't sweat it. Happens to a lot of people. Don't be afraid to rev a bit before releasing the clutch."

She tried again, this time the car lurched forward with a grinding sound, then continued moving at a snail's pace.

"Alright, good, now put your hoof down a bit."

The lesson continued well into the evening, and by the time night fell, Rosa had got down the basics of a manual shift. 

"You did good today."

Rosa turned to face Milo, who was driving them back home.

"Really? I thought I messed up."

"Nah, you're fine. I had a similar time of it during my first lesson."

"But I'm supposed to take my test next week! Do you think I'll have it all down by then?"

"I'm sure you will."

The days passed, and her appointment at the DMV rolled around sooner than expected. Rosa was incredibly nervous, but she had Milo to lean against. He even let her drive to the road test center.

"You don't need a stellar performance to pass, I thought I failed mine for sure when I took it, but I was surprised at how lenient they are. Besides, you'll do fine. It isn't like this is something that you have to learn for years, like being a Nuclear Engineer or a Lawyer. Just remember what we've been practicing and you'll do fine."

"I suppose you're right. Wish me luck."

She planted a quick kiss on his fuzzy cheek and went off towards the DMV building.

Milo drove back home, then waited for Rosa to call him. She did 3 hours later. When he got back, she looked a bit tired, but was beaming, a folder clasped in her hooves.

"How'd it go?"

In response, she took out a small card from the folder. It was emblazoned with a photo of her, as well as the Zootopia DMV seal. Her license.

"It took a bit longer than I was expecting, but I think it was worth it."

"Are they still only hiring sloths there?"

"Yes. It seems a bit counterproductive, doesn't it?"

"Yeah. So, how did the test go?"

"Oh, pretty well. I almost ran a red light once, but other than that it was just fine."

"Well, that's good to hear. Now you can help out and drive some folks to the wedding next week!"

"Oh! Yes! I kind of forgot that was why we did thus in the first place."

With all of her driving lessons, Rosa had all but pushed the wedding out of her mind. She suspected Milo knew that would happen, and she was grateful to him for that.

"Well that's that done with. Now, back to planning."


	52. Drive

XLIX, Drive

“GPS?”

“Yes.”

“Map?”

“Yes.”

“Spare tire?”

“Yes, but-”

“Satellite phone?”

“Milo…”

“That should be everything, but-”

“Milo!”

Milo jumped a bit as Rosa shouted his name. He was so deeply engrossed in his checklist that he failed to hear her the first time.

“Huh? What?”

“I really don’t think I’ll need all of this. It’s not like I’ll be taking gravel roads and offroading all the way there, and when you drove there last year it was fine.”

They were standing in their building’s parking lot, and MIlo had just finished packing his car and the camper full of stuff that they might need. As he considered Rosa’s words, he felt silly. She was right.

“Sorry, I just was kinda worried…” He muttered.

“There’s no need to be sorry.”

She stooped to kiss his forehead.

“I mean, better to overprepare than underprepare, right?”

“Yeah, I guess.”

Milo glanced up. The morning sun was beating down Wellon them, adding a pleasant warmth to the autumn breeze. Perfect weather for an outdoor wedding.

Milo sighed

“Truth be told, I’m nervous.”

Rosa looked concerned.

“About what?”

“Just, all of this. I mean, if all goes well, we’ll be married in 3 days. That still surprises me when I think about it.”

“Being nervous about something as big as this is only natural. We’ll be fine.”

Ignoring the opportunity for a ‘that’s what she said’ joke, Milo hugged Rosa’s chest, the highest part of her he could reach.

“Thanks. The drive should be relaxing enough to take my mind off things. Are you sure you’re ready?”

“Yes.”

“Alright then, I guess I’ll see you in a few hours.”

Milo started his car and pulled out of the lot, with Rosa close behind. They then split off to go pick up their carpools.

To Milo, Nigel’s house looked much better than it had when he was unemployed. Apparently he’d either hired someone to fix the place up, or done it himself. The yard was freshly cut, and the peeling paint had been replaced with a new coat. He’d even put a lawn gnome up.

The ferret himself seemed happy. Milo was greeted by a wide grin and a light punch.

"Little Milo’s all grown up."

Nigel mimed wiping a tear from his eye and sobbing.

"Getting married and everything. I still can’t believe it…”

“Yeah, yeah. Whatever grandpa. You ready to hit the road?”

“Let’s go.”

On the other side of the city, in the university district, Rosa was parking the camper outside a modern apartment complex. After going public with their relationship, Lucia and Robbie had taken her advice and moved in together. From what she’d heard, they were living happily as a couple.

Rosa had barely stepped onto the sidewalk before the building’s door opened. Lucia ran out, closely followed by Robbie, the jaguar laden down with bags. She was quickly engulfed in wool when Lucia wrapped her arms around her and squeezed.

They backed away after a few seconds. Lucia looked much happier than usual, and Rosa couldn’t tell if it was because she was living with her boyfriend, or if she was just happy for her.

“Rosa, if I didn’t know better, I’d think you were trying to steal my girl.”

Rosa shook her head.

“Sorry. I’m just happy to see you both.”

He grinned.

“Good to see you too.”

He opened the camper’s side door and set down his luggage, then slid into the front bench seat next to Lucia. They set off.

Passing under the climate wall hadn’t lost any of its interest. The massive artificial glacier gave way to a sprawling pine forest, a far cry from the buildings and snowdrifts of Tundratown. Milo put on speed as he saw the ‘no speed limit’ sign.

“So, who all did you and Rosa invite?”

“Eh, just a few people. You, my uncle, and a few friends.”

“Your uncle?”

“It’s a long story.”

“We have time.”

Although she wouldn’t admit it to Milo, Rosa had been nervous about driving. Thankfully, there weren’t many other people on the road today. That meant that she had time to tell her friends what’d happened since she last saw them.

Rosa rechecked her GPS. They were about halfway through their journey, still a few hours out. She glanced at Lucia, who's head was in Robbie's lap. Both were asleep.

Rosa was grateful for some time to herself. She wanted some time to reflect on everything. Two years ago, she had nothing to look forward to except inheriting a company she didn't want to run. Then, a whirlwind of emotion. The last thing she expected to do when her father had left her on the street was fall in love with and marry a coyote. Reflecting on it now, she realized that she was extremely lucky to have met him. If he hadn’t been lain off, and if she hadn't been kicked out at the same time, they would've never met, and she would be miserable.

Lost in thought, Rosa barley noticed the trees get thicker, and the buildings less numerous. They were nearly there.

Meanwhile, Milo and Nigel were parked outside the familiar camp store. Roy was sitting on a chair on the porch, fast asleep. He stirred when he heard the sound of an engine, and smiled when he looked up.

Milo unbuckled and swung his legs outside, his joints cracking with relief as they moved around for the first time in hours. He stood and stretched.

“Did ya have a good drive?”

“Yep, nothing special.”

They went inside, and Milo signed himself in.

Rosa and her passengers arrived shortly after, with Lucia and Robbie reserving their own site. Milo left his car in the parking lot, and they drove up to the hill that they’d stayed on a year ago. The familiar sunset was easy on their eyes after hours of highway. They set up camp chairs and relaxed.

“Well, we’re here. Kinda feels like it isn’t real, you know?”

Rosa gave him a sympathetic look.

“I think I know what you mean. Maybe it’s just how excited we are.”

Milo said nothing, he instead sat down in her lap and sighed. Exhausted, they fell asleep under the stars.


End file.
